


More Than Once

by MAEYU98



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: College AU, M/M, Post-College AU, Slow Burn, Soft and Fluffy, Soonwoo friendship, barista mingyu, but also homophobia in east asia, but also v angsty haha, deals a lot w societal pressure and questioning life choices, gyuhao friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2019-11-12 19:15:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 44,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18016781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MAEYU98/pseuds/MAEYU98
Summary: For Mingyu, life is blooming into everything he can possibly make it. For Wonwoo, life is crumbling and closing in on him from all sides. Neither can figure out if meeting each other is the best, or worst thing to ever happen to them.





	1. Like, Three or Four Times

Through the windows, Wonwoo could see that the cafe was fairly empty this time. He quickly crossed the street and made his way over, pulling the door open with caution. The last few times he had stopped by, the place had been packed with university students with their work sprawled across every table, and forming a line that nearly went to the door. The noise level had also been unbearable. But it couldn’t be helped, and he knew that; cafes close to campus were a hot commodity. So he was thankful to be greeted with only the soft clinking of cups over a slow jazz song playing from some speakers. He gave a quick sigh of relief as he closed the door behind him.

He made a beeline straight to the counter, where he fished around for his wallet. There was only one barista working, and he was currently pouring up a drink and adding the finishing touches. Wonwoo sniffled from the early spring chill as he waited, pulling out a couple bills.

“Hey, sorry about that,” the barista chimed a few moments later, coming around to the register. “Thanks for waiting. What can I get you?”

“Just an Americano,” Wonwoo murmured, trying to unwrinkle his bills.

“What was that?”

Wonwoo looked up, confused. The barista didn’t seem to catch his order, and Wonwoo realized that his scarf was completely obscuring his mouth. Sheepishly, he pulled it down and out of the way. “Sorry. Americano, please.”

“Got it,” the barista said, grinning. He made some swift motions on the register. “That’ll be two-seventy five.”

Wonwoo handed over his dollars, and then gave a small wave of his hand as the barista began to dig around for coins in the cash drawer for change. “You can keep the change,” he said.

“Thanks! I’ll have your drink out in a second,” the barista assured him, bumping the cash drawer closed with his hip. Wonwoo offered a quick, insincere smile before heading off to find a place to sit.

The bar had become his favorite spot due to its somewhat secluded location. It was off to the side, backed in a corner and lined with single, tall bar stools. It faced the barista’s workstation, so he never had to worry about making awkward, unsolicited eye contact with other cafe-goers. If his eyes should wander from his work, they easily landed on the espresso machines or the milk steamer. Plus, the bar seats didn’t offer enough space for most university students who needed to open up laptops, textbooks, and notes all at once.

Wonwoo pulled his work laptop out from his bag and set it on the counter, opening it and waiting for it to start up. He peeled off his jacket, draping it over the back of his stool, and unwound his scarf from his neck. He heard the rumblings of the espresso machine as the shots were pulled for his drink, and was surprised to see the barista coming over to him instead of calling his drink out to be picked up at the counter.

“One Americano,” the barista said, placing the ceramic mug a bit to the side of Wonwoo’s laptop. He grinned once more before turning around to clean the machine, not giving Wonwoo enough time to utter any thanks. Lifting his brows, he pulled the mug closer and lifted it to his mouth before blowing the surface to cool it down. After a few moments, he took the first sip and was greeted with the bold flavor of a dark roast, the nutty bitterness overwhelming his mouth. He huffed in satisfaction, taking another sip and then putting the mug back down. He wiped the condensation from the steam off of his glasses and turned to his laptop, getting to work.

His mug was empty much sooner than he had anticipated. Looking into his mug, seeing only white, he sighed. He looked back at his laptop, disappointed to see that only about thirty minutes had passed since he’d arrived. And the taunting cursor on his spreadsheet just blinked at him, waiting. Waiting for what, he wish he knew. He’d struggled to produce decent reports all week, and had even offered to stay late last night despite his boss’s hesitation. And still, here he was, in nearly the same position: staring at his screen, slowly tapping away, filling out words and blocks and lines for some obscure purpose unbeknownst to him.

At that moment, he leaned forward and let his face fall into his hands. He slowly pulled them over his face, sighing deeply. He blinked with discontent at his screen before closing his laptop altogether. Instead, he pulled out a book he’d brought and flipped open to his bookmarked page. He didn’t get past the first few sentences before he realized his thoughts were wandering, floating away from the words and into his own mind. The full-time lifestyle was everything that he’d been warned about. He was working long hours, working on the weekends, constantly hailing emails when he was off the clock, and arriving home totally drained at the end of the night. He’d only been doing it for a couple of months now, and kept telling himself that he just needed time to adjust. He got hired into a good company, was doing work relevant to his degree, and had all of his professional assets in order. His emotional assets were everywhere and nowhere at once, but he supposed those couldn’t be priorities. He _knew_ that working full-time would be draining. He’d been warned, and he’d been drilled for it through internships and talking with professors. But sitting here, in this cafe at this moment, he felt terribly unprepared and _unsure_ about it all.

“Whatcha reading?”

Wonwoo snapped out of his trance when he realized someone was talking to him. With wide eyes, he met the curious gaze of the barista, who was polishing a pitcher. Mingyu, his nametag said in neat handwriting.

“Huh?” Wonwoo said.

Mingyu gestured at the book that Wonwoo forgot was in his hands. “Your book. It looks interesting. Sorry if I interrupted--?”

Wonwoo glanced at his book. “Oh, no it’s fine. It’s really good. I’ve already read it twice, actually.”

“Oh, so it’s not for a class?” Mingyu asked, cocking his head.

Wonwoo blinked. “No, I...I’m not in school,” he replied. Mingyu opened his mouth, presumably to apologize, but Wonwoo cut him off. “I just graduated a few months ago. I guess I’m still mostly a student.”

Mingyu nodded in understanding. “Since we’re so close to the university, y’know, almost all our customers are students. So I just assumed you were one, too.”

For a few moments, Wonwoo didn’t say anything. The gears of his existential crisis were still working on coming to a stop. “Yeah. It’s been hard to come here since it’s always flooded with students.”

“Tell me about it,” Mingyu scoffed. “We’re so busy on weekdays that I actually requested weekend shifts. It’s a little more inconvenient, but a lot less stressful.”

Wonwoo hummed, remembering all too well the process of working while going to school. Working weekends and balancing out school work. Before he could come up with anything to say, a customer walked through the door and Mingyu turned to greet them and headed to the register. Wonwoo’s eyes glazed fondly over the cover of his book, and he sank back into its sentences, biting his tongue and waiting for his thoughts to relax.

  


As Mingyu’s shift wore on, the cafe grew to be considerably busier. Couples began to come in for their afternoon weekend dates, and a handful of dedicated students came in to get schoolwork done. The cafe manager filtered in and out of the workstation, mostly staying in the office to keep cracking away at sales. Mingyu was eventually joined by his coworker, which helped make the shift a bit more lively.

By the time he got his break, he realized the customer that he’d been chatting with earlier had left. His spot was left empty, as the bar was too awkward for couples to sit at and too cramped for students. He thought about that book-- _Kitchen_ , it’d been called. That guy said it was his third time reading it already. As he made a drink for himself, Mingyu thought about whether he’d ever read the same book more than once. He couldn’t say he had.

Passing by the empty seat, however, he saw something small glint and catch his eye. He wandered over to find something small, long and silver resting atop the bar counter. Curiously, he picked it up and examined it. It seemed to be a bookmark, and a nice one too. It was made of silver metal, and had tiny lacquer paw prints along its length. At the top sat a cat amongst some flowers. He flipped it over to find no name or identification on the backside.

He presented it to the people sitting nearby and asked if it belonged to any of them. All the customers shook their head. Well, he supposed he figured from the start that it belonged to the customer who had been in that spot earlier, who’d brought a book along. He felt bad that the beautiful bookmark had been left here. He went into the back room and slipped it into the pocket of his apron with the intention to have it handy if that customer ever came around again.

When he finally clocked out, the sun was almost down and the chill was picking up again. He stopped by a convenience store to pick up dinner on his way back to his apartment. Vegetable kimbap was one of the cheapest options, which he was more than accustomed to eating. He also picked out some snacks, since it was the weekend after all. He treated himself to a steamed bun as well, which he bit into as soon as he exited the store.

After a brisk walk, he reached his apartment building and let himself in, thankful for the warmth. He ascended the stairs to the third floor, where he went to his door and let himself in. The kitchen and living room were dark and empty--his roommates were probably out. It was Saturday night, after all. He slipped off his shoes and locked the door behind him.

He entered his room to find the usual scene that greeted him: ambient synth music playing gently, lights dim, and an oil diffuser puffing lavender-scented clouds into the air. Not to his surprise, his roommate was hunched over at his desk, scribbling away at papers and rifling through others. Mingyu shuffled over to his side of the room, placing his food on his desk and shrugging his jacket off.

“Welcome home,” Minghao chimed jokingly, in his soft but sarcastic voice. “How was your shift?”

“Good,” Mingyu replied, dropping into his chair and rolling backwards from the impact. “Normal. How’s the project going?”

“It’s...going,” Minghao hummed, tucking hair behind his ear. “This new professor doesn’t seem to appreciate my aesthetic.”

Mingyu snorted. “Well, this new professor is a dumbass,” he announced. He dug around his bag until he pulled out the kimbap, as well as a bag of corn chips. “You’ve already put out two portfolios. You’re putting together your first showcase this semester, as a third-year student. Who does this professor think they are?”

“He’s put out hundreds of portfolios, and he’s put together a dozen showcases,” Minghao said in his calm, matter-of-fact tone. “He knows a thing about fashion, I think.”

Mingyu shrugged, tearing open his kimbap container and shoving a roll into his mouth. “Whatever you say, man. You’ll do great.”

His roommate uttered a soft thank-you, and Mingyu hummed in response. He swiveled in his chair to look at his own project, which was mostly taped up on the wall above his desk. Sketched out thumbnails, along with hastily scribbled notes on the side took up most of the space. For his first portfolio project of his last year in school, he was aiming for something quite ambitious. The sheer amount of work he was planning to do required a lot of preparation and careful execution. Despite the workload, he was excited. Over the break, he had purchased a new camera just to work with for his senior year portfolio, as well as some high-tech staging and lighting equipment. He only had a few months before he’d have to start reaching out to companies, studios, and agencies to look for job opportunities. He wanted to be well-prepared when that time came.

“Do you feel like scoping out some photo locations tomorrow?” he asked, pulling out his journal to go through even more ideas and notes. “I’ll cover lunch.”

“You are _quite_ bad at bargaining,” Minghao replied with a chuckle. “Of course I’ll go. Let’s get noodles.”

  


Wonwoo woke up the next morning to something fuzzy prodding at his lips. He shifted a bit under his covers, and slowly opened his eyes to see two pairs of shining green eyes watching him intently. A paw came to his lips, prodding them once again.

“G’morning,” he grunted, to which there was a thrilled meow. Wonwoo slipped one of his hands out of his blanket to reach forward and pet his cat, who began purring immediately. He grinned. _Good morning_ , he murmured again. _Good morning baby_.

He groggily sat up and pulled himself out of bed, shuffling towards the kitchen. He took a can of cat food from the fridge and pried it open, grabbing a spoon and kneeling down by a set of bowls. As he started to scoop food into the bowl, purring could be heard once again. _Here you go, Cheebu,_ he said, smiling as he watched his cat eat ravenously. He put a lid on the can and put it back in the fridge, rubbing his eyes deeply as he sauntered back to his bed.

Surprisingly, there were a few notifications on his phone. Most were just irrelevant updates and reminders, which he swiped away. But there were a few messages from his best friend Soonyoung, which had been sent at 4:17am. Wonwoo sighed as he opened them, crawling back under his covers and reading the texts with half of his face buried in a pillow.

 

**Soonyoung**

     Heyyyyy

     Ur really missing out tonight man

     I bet ur lame ass is asleep by now lol

     There’s so many hot ppl here and the drinks are

          cheap, u would’ve had a great time :’(

 

Wonwoo rubbed his eyes. It was only about nine-thirty in the morning, so he doubted that his friend would be up already. He decided it wouldn’t hurt if he responded to those later. Besides, he wasn’t really sure what to say. He had been asleep. And how many times did he have to tell Soonyoung that clubs weren’t his scene? Yes, even if he was really drunk. But for some reason, ever since they’d graduated, Soonyoung had been trying to take him to every bar, club, or cocktail party in the city. Wonwoo was already growing weary of it, although he knew that Soonyoung only had the best intentions. They just weren’t moving at the same pace anymore, it seemed.

A good chunk of time passed before Wonwoo finally heaved himself out of bed again, this time getting a good stretch. He washed his face in the bathroom, and changed out of his pajamas to try and feel more productive. He began by tidying up, with Cheebu at his heels the entire time. After cleaning, he sat on the couch and pulled his book out of his bag. Cheebu hopped onto the couch with him, immediately stepping onto his lap and seating himself in a comfortable ball. Wonwoo grinned and stroked him, then leaned back and opened the book to where he’d left off.

Except, he didn’t know where he left off. His bookmark wasn’t there.

“Mm, it must’ve slipped out,” he murmured to himself, setting the book aside. To his dismay, he had to coax Cheebu out of his lap in order to stoop down and dig into his bag. But it didn’t seem to be in there, either. Shocked, he looked over at his cat. He was oblivious to it all, simply gazing back at Wonwoo and kneading his paws in content. A sense of dread started to fill him.

He didn’t want to lament on it for too long. He told himself he’d do a more thorough search around the house later, but for now he needed to just go out and get a temporary replacement. Well, he hoped it’d be temporary. But he had a worrisome feeling that if his bookmark wasn’t in his book, then it was probably gone. It wasn’t something he just left around the apartment. He sighed and got up to put a coat on. He supposed he also needed to get something for lunch.

  


Minghao cocked his head, folding his arms judgmentally. “I don’t know,” he admitted, much to his friend’s disappointment. “It seems pretty bleak.”

Mingyu chuckled. “You always say that. Don’t you think the scene’s simplicity could emphasize the creativity of your designs though?”

Minghao turned to him with a doubtful look. He puffed out his cheeks and looked back out at the street they were inspecting. “...No,” he concluded.

“Okay, okay. Fine.” Mingyu shoved his hands into his pockets and twirled on his heel, too energetic to try and sit there and argue with his friend. “We’ll hit some other spots. But can we get noodles now? I’m starving.”

“We’ve only been out for an hour.”

“Yeah, exactly. A whole hour.”

Another sigh from Minghao. “You’re hopeless,” he said, complete with a full grin.

The restaurant had a low buzz of energy, given it was a sleepy Sunday at noon. The two of them were quickly seated, and neither bothered to look at the menu--they came here often enough to have their favorite orders. Service was quick and efficient, and within a few minutes both boys had steaming plates of noodles set before them. The smell was heavenly, as always. Minghao delicately stirred his noodles and pulled a thin bundle up from the plate between his chopsticks. Mingyu was already four giant gulps in, siphoning noodles down his throat at inhuman speed.

During one of his few moments to breathe, Mingyu straightened up and plucked a napkin to wipe his mouth. Chewing vigorously (and with deep satisfaction), his eyes darted around the small restaurant until they landed on a particular face. A face he knew he had seen just yesterday, which he could not believe he was seeing again. The customer who’d left his bookmark! Mingyu nearly choked on his food with disbelief that he’d see him in such a chance encounter. He bolted up from his seat, ignoring Minghao’s shocked gaze, and made his way over.

“Excuse me,” he said. He swallowed the food that he forgot he had in his mouth and tried again. “Excuse me, hello.”

Wonwoo looked up from his phone in surprise. It took him a moment to recognize who he was talking to, until the other smiled sheepishly with a quick bow. Oh, the barista from the cafe yesterday. “Hi,” he replied, watching the other fidget with his hands.

“I served you at the cafe yesterday, and I believe you left something there,” Mingyu began. “A silver bookmark, with a cat on it. Is it yours?”

Wonwoo couldn't stop his eyes from lighting up. “Oh--yeah that's mine. Do you have it?”

“I do!” Mingyu exclaimed, happy that his inkling had been correct. But then he fumbled. “Well, um, not with me. It's in my apron, at the cafe. Sorry.”

“That's fine,” Wonwoo assured, shocked by what he was hearing. Could he really be this lucky? “I'll just, um…stop by and pick it up sometime?”

“Okay,” Mingyu said with an enormous smile. “I'll be working the same shift next Saturday, if you'd like to come by then.”

Wonwoo gave a quick nod of his head. “Sure. Thank you.”

“It's important, right?” Mingyu blurted out.

Wonwoo blinked. “Huh?”

“Your bookmark,” Mingyu babbled on. “It's important to you, huh? It seems like it's a very special item.”

Wonwoo eyed this stranger, trying not to be rude by raising a suspicious brow. “...Yeah,” he replied, slowly. “It's a gift from my brother.” He didn't feel the need to say anything more.

“Well, I'm glad it could be returned to you.” Mingyu's smile didn't seem to fade at all, despite how awkward his conversation strategies were. He bowed again. “I'm Kim Mingyu, by the way. Are you getting a lunch here?”

Wonwoo almost reeled back as the tall Mingyu gave a deep, humble bow. “Um, yeah, for takeout. My name is Wonwoo.”

“I would suggest the spicy beef noodles, if you haven't already ordered yet,” Mingyu offered. “Nice to meet you again, Wonwoo. I'll see you Saturday.”

As quickly and abruptly as he'd come, Kim Mingyu was gone. Wonwoo watched him leave with huge eyes, still not recovered from that mess of an interaction. Mingyu really hadn't seemed phased by it, though. When the front cashier finally returned to greet him, Wonwoo ordered cold vermicelli noodles without hesitation.

“What was that about?” Minghao asked as Mingyu returned to their table.

“A customer left a really nice bookmark at the cafe last night, and I just saw him again to tell him that I have it. God, I'm so glad I ran into him, it seemed like a really terrible thing to lose.” With the next breath, Mingyu went back to inhaling his noodles. “He's read the same book more than once--like, three or four times already. Isn't that crazy?”

Minghao said nothing for a few moments. Instead, he just watched his roommate from across the table. “One just has to marvel at the way your mind works,” he murmured, going back to delicately picking at his food.


	2. And a One, Two, Three...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo finally gets his bookmark back, and actually manages to make plans with his best friend. But of course, the night does not end as he expected it to.

The work week was passing by at a dreadful pace. Every morning, every day, and every night felt the same. Wonwoo would wake up, get ready, feed Cheebu, and be out the door. He would tap away at his computer for a few hours until lunch, where he would leave with some coworkers but slink away to be on his own and get some solace. He would whip out a book, or even his phone to play games, and take his mind off work for an hour. But even that was starting to feel too forced. He’d return to the office to finish up the work day, and head home after politely declining his coworkers’ invitations for drinks. He’d stop by the convenience store to get dinner, feed Cheebu again upon getting home, and then snuggle up with him as he lounged for the rest of the night.

“Maybe I’m just being too cynical,” he thought aloud one night, with Cheebu snoozing atop his chest. The TV was quietly blabbering in the background, and one of Wonwoo’s arms dangled lazily off the sofa. He stared up at the ceiling, where nothing was to be found. “D’you think that could be it? Maybe my expectations had been way too high. I just need to...accept my life for what it is, and get over it.”

He blinked up at the ceiling. His hand absentmindedly stroked Cheebu, feeling calm from his soft purrs. Instinctively, he wanted to call Soonyoung about the whole thing. But...he’d already tried that. More than once, too. And every conversation went pretty much like this: Wonwoo complained, in a very articulate manner. Soonyoung tried his best to empathize and offer advice. It never seemed quite feasible. And so on.

The problem wasn’t Soonyoung. The problem was that Soonyoung actually liked his job--in fact, Wonwoo would go as far as to say he _loved_ his job. It was pretty much impossible for him to try and understand what Wonwoo was feeling, no matter how hard he tried (and he did try, really quite hard). No, the problem wasn’t Soonyoung at all.

“It’s just me,” he murmured quietly, grinning as he stroked Cheebu’s fuzzy chin.

 

While Wonwoo had been looking forward to the weekend, when he actually awoke on Saturday morning he felt a twinge of anxiety in his gut. He didn’t know why, either, which was the frustrating part. He tried to squeeze it out by curling into fetal position, but that was of course futile. He had no other choice but to groan and roll out of bed.

As he was getting ready, he debated with himself about what he should bring. His initial plan was just to stop by the cafe, pick up his bookmark, and then come back home to read or play games. But since he was already stepping out...maybe it would be a good idea to stay out for a bit. Maybe he should meet up with Soonyoung, since he’d been pestering Wonwoo mercilessly the whole week. Well, that plus the fact that Wonwoo actually wanted to see his best friend. That didn’t seem like a bad idea.

He checked the time and noted that it was still before noon--Soonyoung wouldn’t be up for a few more hours, let alone be ready. Figuring that, they’d probably meet up for dinner. Wonwoo picked up his book to bring with him, and picked up his work laptop as well. But after holding it for a few moments, he set it back down on his desk. Maybe he shouldn’t stress himself with that today. He looked at Cheebu, as if he could offer reassurance in his decision. He simply flicked his tail, unblinking. Wonwoo smiled at him anyway.

The walk from his apartment to the cafe was short and relaxing. Wonwoo strolled along sleepy side streets, passing the occasional bicyclist or taxi. After about fifteen minutes, he saw the cafe from across the street with its lush green plant pots and rustic blackboard stand-up sign out front. The special drink being advertised was different from last time: a sea salt chocolate mocha frappe. He grimaced at the thought of a drink so sweet. Glancing quickly to make sure the street was clear, he made his way across and into the cafe.

A strong aroma greeted him as soon as he opened the door, and enveloped his senses once he stepped inside. Smooth, roasty espresso, and the buttery smell of bread and pastries. He couldn’t help but sigh rather pleasantly as he made his way towards the counter.

Mingyu noticed him immediately. His crisp black apron crinkled slightly as he gave a quick, courteous bow. His smile flashed brightly. “Good morning, ah, Mr. Wonwoo!”

Wonwoo scratched his head. “No need to be formal,” he said, the anxious feeling returning to his gut. “Just Wonwoo is fine.”

Mingyu nodded. “Sure thing,” he said, just as happily. He then reached into his apron pocket, pulling out the silver bookmark. Holding it out gently with upturned palms, he offered it over. “Here’s your bookmark, as promised. I’m sorry that you had to go a whole week without it.”

As Wonwoo reached for the bookmark, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. He grinned as he tucked it into his book. “It’s no problem, really. I don’t have much time to read during the week anyway. I’m just glad to have it back.”

This was the truth. The bookmark had been a gift from his little brother, who had given it to him when he’d been accepted to university. _To motivate you to study hard and read well_ , was his reasoning. He’d even gotten it customized to look like the family cat they’d had at home. He didn’t really talk to his brother much anymore, though. Hardly at all, in fact. The bookmark was memorabilia from when their relationship was better, Wonwoo supposed. But he needn’t think about that now.

“Glad to give it back,” Mingyu replied. “By the way, would you like anything to eat or drink while you’re here?”

“Actually...yeah, that’d be nice,” Wonwoo agreed. “Just an americano is good.”

Mingyu grinned as he rung up the drink. “You like simple flavors, don’t you?”

“Hm?” Wonwoo had been concentrated on getting money out of his wallet. “Ah, um. Yeah, I suppose.”

“I bet you’d like our cream bread. Do you wanna try one?” Mingyu’s eyes twinkled.

Wonwoo blinked. “Uh, not...really?”

“No, I think you ought to try one. Really.” Mingyu seemed absolutely unphased by Wonwoo’s disinterest. He began to tap away at the register. “Here--it’s on me. It’s sooo good if it’s warmed up just a bit. I promise. Okay, two seventy-five for the americano.”

Wonwoo couldn’t help but laugh. What a bizarre character. He guess he had no reason to refuse if it was _free_ . He handed over the money, which Mingyu dropped into the register and promptly closed with his hip like last time. As Wonwoo seated himself at the bar, he noticed Mingyu grinning to himself at the cream bread as he pulled it from the display case. _If he liked it so much, he should just have a slice_ , he thought to himself with amusement.

It didn’t take long for Mingyu to come in his direction holding a plate in one hand and a cup in the other. “Americano,” he announced, placing the cup before Wonwoo. “And cream bread, warmed up. It’s best if you let the coffee cleanse your palate first, then take a bite of the bread. Tell me what you think.”

“Are you going to stand there and wait for my reaction?” Wonwoo asked in disbelief, pulling the cup towards himself.

Looking around the cafe, Mingyu shrugged. There was only one other customer, a student, sitting alone at his table with his headphones on. “Not much else to do,” he said simply.

Wonwoo eyed the barista as he put the cup to his lips and took a strong first sip. Delicious, just like last week’s. Maybe a bit less roasty this time, but not enough to make him dislike it. Then he picked up the bread, inspecting it with suspicion. Trying not to overthink it, he opened his mouth and tore off a chunk between his teeth. Fluffy, but not chewy. Definitely had creamy overtones, but not as if it were a cream puff or a slice of cake. The delicate sweetness melted in his mouth, barely noticeable with the rich floury flavor of the bread itself. He chewed thoughtfully and swallowed. Mingyu raised his eyebrows expectantly, and Wonwoo thought the preppy barista might start bouncing on his toes with anticipation.

“Wow,” Wonwoo said once his mouth was empty. He took a better look at what he’d just taken a bite out of. He smiled at Mingyu. “That was disgusting. Really, really nasty.”

The barista froze, his mouth partly open in shock. “What? Seriously?”

“Yeah. I kind of want to throw it up,” Wonwoo admitted. He quickly plucked another piece of bread and popped it into his mouth. “What days do you sell it? So I know which days to never come here on.”

“Oh,” Mingyu said, grinning. “Unfortunately for you, we serve it every day. I guess you can never come back, then.”

“Bummer,” Wonwoo replied, shrugging and tearing off another chunk with his teeth.

Then Mingyu laughed. “Let me know if I can get you anything else,” he said with a smirk.

Wonwoo replied with a silent grin, given his mouth was full of delicious bread. As Mingyu turned around to clean up the work station, Wonwoo took another sip of coffee and smiled into his mug.

He read _Kitchen_ contently for a long while. Customers filtered in and out, but when Wonwoo glanced up occasionally it never seemed to be too hectic. At one point, he got another americano--decaf, this time. Not once did a single thought about work cross his mind. He let himself get fully absorbed into his novel. Before he knew it, it was nearly two in the afternoon.

He decided it was probably a decent time to see if Soonyoung wanted to meet up.

 

**Me**

                                are u up yet

                                we should get dinner tonight

 

To his surprise, Soonyoung replied in a matter of minutes.

 

**Soonyoung**

     YEAHHHHH let’s do it!!

     I miss u man :’)

     My coworkers told me about this cool jazz club

     Apparently they have really good food and the music is awesome, i figured it might be more ur style

     Rather than a normal club lol

**Me**

                                ok that sounds cool

**Soonyoung**

     Well don’t sound TOO excited

     Smh

**Me**

                                <333

 

Wonwoo looked up from his phone as a large figure passed in his peripherals, shocking (almost scaring) him. He realized it was the barista, Mingyu, but on the other side of the counter. On the customer side. His apron was off, and he was drinking out of a mug he held in his hand. Wonwoo stared as he put his things down on the counter space next to him, and hopped up onto the bar stool.

“I’m on break,” Mingyu explained, seeing Wonwoo’s utterly bewildered expression.

“Oh,” was all Wonwoo said. He hadn’t even noticed the other barista, who was now working the floor alone.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bother you,” Mingyu said humbly, though amused. He patted the cover of a journal he’d set in front of him. “I’ve got homework to do.”

Wonwoo gave a slow nod, then awkwardly went back to looking at his phone. Well, he realized Soonyoung probably didn’t have anything to say in response to sarcastic hearts. So he put his phone away and went back to reading.

His gaze flickered over to Mingyu a few times. Specifically, whatever Mingyu was working on. He seemed to be scribbling away furiously in his journal, in a way that Wonwoo knew couldn’t be only writing. He seemed to be sketching too, or at least making charts or something visual like that. He was flipping back and forth between pages, staring intently at one page before flipping back to quickly scribble away at another page. His facial expression, although intense, didn’t seem too perplexed or distressed. It just seemed thoughtful.

Mingyu was more observant than Wonwoo would have guessed. “It’s a photography journal,” he said out of the blue, though clearly addressing his words to Wonwoo. He jotted a few more things down, and Wonwoo peered over from behind his novel. When he was finished writing, he picked up the journal and showed Wonwoo an open page. “I saw you looking over. Do you want to take a look?”

Wonwoo said nothing. Before he could refuse, Mingyu handed his journal over. “Go ahead, I don’t mind.”

He watched as Wonwoo carefully took the journal, and held it delicately as if it were an important artifact. Wonwoo looked over the page that it was already open to, poring over all the notes and drawings. For how quickly Mingyu had seemed to be writing, his handwriting was still totally legible. And the drawings he’d been making were thumbnails, as if they were plans for photos that had yet to be taken. Wonwoo leafed through the other pages, seeing similar things throughout. It was quite beautiful, really. Wonwoo was amazed by the creativity that seemed to be flowing from the journal.

“This...is your homework?” Wonwoo asked, still unable to peel his eyes away from the pages.

“Yeah, I’m studying photography,” Mingyu explained. “That’s where I plan all my projects and portfolio pieces.”

Studying photography...photography was a hobby, a past time. It wasn’t a serious skill, nor a field that could be seriously applied to any job. What was this poor guy going to do with a degree in photography?

Wonwoo swallowed. He knew that was just his jealousy talking.

He promptly handed the journal back. “That’s really cool.”

“Thanks,” Mingyu said, beaming. “It’s a lot of work sometimes, but it’s been my passion since I was little, so it makes it all worthwhile.”

Wonwoo nodded, staring blankly at the other’s knees. Before he could stop himself, the question tumbled out of his mouth. “What kind of job do you plan to get?”

Mingyu, however, wasn’t phased in the slightest. “To start, I’m thinking magazines and advertisements. But my goal is to go freelance and work with individual contractors one day. Preferably with artists, models, or musicians.” He was smiling confidently the whole time: something Wonwoo couldn’t help but take notice of. “It’s a long road to becoming a successful freelancer though, so I know I’m gonna be working within agencies for a while. But that’s fine.”

An uncomfortable mixture of admiration and self-doubt is what Wonwoo began feeling in that moment. He shifted his shoulders and pulled his arms into his sleeves, hiding his sweatered hands between his thighs. When he was in college, he’d never even considered the career options for...well, nevermind. There was no use in thinking about that now. Instead, he put on the best smile that he could in that moment, offering it up to Mingyu. “That sounds really fun. I’m sure you’ll find success.”

Mingyu was still smiling, but he didn’t say anything. It was clear that the other’s disposition had changed, and he looked awfully troubled. “You said you recently graduated, right?”

“Mhmm.”

“What did you study?”

“Communications.”

Mingyu looked at him intently. “Do you wish you’d done something different?”

Wonwoo froze. Was he being that sulky and obvious? “No, no I just...I think it’s great that you’re pursuing your interest. And taking yourself seriously. It’s not very common, y’know?”

Mingyu could certainly be oblivious at times, but even he knew that the other was spewing a ridiculous lie. But he knew he shouldn’t press the matter. That wasn’t his business. So again, he just flashed a small smile instead. “I guess you might be right. But it’s the only way I know I’d be happy, so I never had to think twice about it.”

Those words rested heavily on Wonwoo’s shoulders. He made it sound like such a simple choice. Wonwoo’s thoughts were becoming clouded once again, but he noticed Mingyu pushing his sleeve up to check his watch. His break must be nearing its end. Sure enough, he started to gather up his things and downed the last bit of his coffee.

“Well, I gotta get back to work,” he announced. “Thanks for chatting.”

As Mingyu stood, Wonwoo slid off his stool as well. “Sure. I think I’m actually going to head out now, though.” He slid his book off the counter and tucked it under his arm, turning to face the barista. “Again, the bookmark...I can’t thank you enough.”

“Oh, sure you can,” Mingyu said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “You already have. Don’t worry about it.”

Wonwoo smiled gratefully. Before he left, he succumbed to buying another slice of cream bread to bring home.

 

When Mingyu came home from work that afternoon, he stumbled into his room to find it filled with a handful of other people. Minghao was standing in the center of their room, talking to a guy who stood with his arms spread out on either side of him. Minghao was chattering away and pulling at the guy’s clothes, this way and that. Oh. He must be dressing some models. Mingyu shyly pulled his headphones out as he crept behind them, over to his desk.

Without turning around, however, Minghao knew he’d arrived. “Good evening,” he murmured in the tone he used when he was pleasantly occupied. “These guys are performing tonight, and I’ve designed their set outfits. Are you interested in seeing the performance?”

“Of course,” Mingyu replied right away. It wasn’t often that Hao dressed up people for performances. “What’s the theme?”

“Contemporary Asia meets swing era fashion.” Minghao motioned that the person could put their arms down, and he adjusted the clothes once more.

As he wasn’t on the same fashion wavelength as his roommate, Mingyu initially had no idea what that meant. But he looked over the outfits that the rest of the people were wearing, and definitely noticed a theme. Muted colors, suits and old-fashioned dress styles, but with some modern accessories and accents. Whatever it was, they looked good. “So what’s the performance?”

Satisfied with the outfit, Minghao let the person go and turned to faced Mingyu. He put his hands proudly on his hips. “They’re a band performing at a jazz club. Hence the swing era clothing.”

Mingyu raised his brows. “Oh, no kidding? You mean that one jazz club by the river?”

“That’s the one, yeah.”

“Whoa, cool. I’ve always wanted to check that place out.” Mingyu then made a gesture that implied holding up a camera. “I’m guessing you want me to…?”

“Yes, I’d love it if you did,” Minghao said bashfully. “And, since you paid for noodles the other day, I’ll cover dinner this time.”

Mingyu’s giant smile did enough to solidify their plans for the night.

Even though the performances hadn’t begun yet, the club was already quite lively. The band lead the way in, with Minghao strolling confidently along behind them. Mingyu tagged along at the end of the line, peering around at everything he could as they made their way through the venue like a kid in a candy store. It was dimly lit, and the subtle din of wine glasses clinking, people chattering, and staff getting ready for the night really helped put on an air of sophistication. Mingyu did note, though, that many of the people seated were also university students that he vaguely recognized from his arts program. He wasn’t too surprised by that, he supposed.

Once backstage, Minghao began orchestrating the band for a photoshoot. Mingyu got his camera equipment ready, setting himself aside to fiddle with all of his supplies. Some of the band members started to smoke, which Minghao thought would look nice in the photos.

“How are you feeling about the setup?” Minghao asked, one finger placed over his lip pensively. “Do you want to take the photos somewhere else?”

“I think this is great,” Mingyu replied, gesturing at the cramped backstage area. “I like all the sound equipment stacked around. I’m thinking of capturing some high-flash, sort of vintage-y looking photos. Nothing lofi though, I think that would be too distracting. The photos would look best if they were cleaner.”

Minghao smiled confidently at him, nodding briskly and gently shaking his feathery bangs. “Sounds perfect to me. Do your thing.”

For a good hour or so, the two of them worked together to get a small photoshoot going. Mingyu was having a lot of fun--while Minghao stepped in to fix the band members’ clothes, or tell them what pose to strike, Mingyu would peep out from behind the stage curtain and look around. With the strong stage lights, the venue itself looked even more dim than it had when they’d been walking through. You could barely make out anybody’s face. You could still smell the food and tobacco, and hear the chatter, though.

Finally, some club staff came around to notify the band that performances would be starting soon. They all exchanged thanks with Minghao and Mingyu, who then made their way back out to the sitting area of the venue. They found a seat near the stage fairly easily, which surprised him. But Minghao said it was most likely because everyone wanted to enjoy a low-key night out, and it was too bright and loud near the stage. Interesting crowd, Mingyu thought. He liked it. Minghao promptly ordered wine for the both of them.

 

Wonwoo knew his friend had arrived when he heart footsteps running up to him from behind. Before he had time to react, Soonyoung burst into his bubble of personal space to envelop him in a huge, tight hug.

“Heeeyyy buddy, long time no see!” Soonyoung exclaimed, giving Wonwoo a squeeze.

“Oof, yeah, good to see you too,” Wonwoo choked out.

Soonyoung heaved a huge, content sigh before finally releasing Wonwoo from his grip. He stuck his hands in his pockets, smiling with his ever-chipper grin. “Wow, you look good! So _snazzy_ ,” he drawled, raising his brows.

“Oh, thanks.” Wonwoo looked down at his outfit. He wore a black turtleneck under a loose, flowy dress shirt that was tucked in to dark gray slacks. Lastly, he had fitted himself with some patent leather loafers. It wasn’t often that he got dressed up anymore, so he had enjoyed coordinating his outfit. “I wasn’t quite sure what to wear to a jazz club, but it seems like I did alright.”

“Oh, shut up,” Soonyoung snickered teasingly. “Don’t act like this isn’t your _exact_ aesthetic. You look great and you know it.”

Wonwoo grinned and gave his friend a shove. Laughing and immediately starting to catch up, the two had no problem killing time before the venue opened up to the general public.

They wandered inside, taking a good look around as they did. Most of the people inside looked to be about the same age as them. There was a good variety of outfits and appearances as well. “Where do you wanna sit?” Soonyoung asked.

“I dunno,” Wonwoo said, still looking around. “Maybe somewhere near the middle, so we’re not too close to either the bar or the stage?” he suggested. “Somewhere that isn’t well-lit.”

“Ugh, you so belong here,” Soonyoung groaned.

“No, I just don’t want to have to look at your ugly face the whole time,” Wonwoo replied calmly. He pointed to a small table for two. “Let’s sit there.”

Almost immediately after they ordered drinks, the stage lights dimmed, and several people began to bring out instruments and equipment. A drumset, an upright bass, and a number of stools were the first to be brought out. The chatter in the venue seemed to hush for a moment. Some microphones were then brought out, and the lights brightened again as a woman in a suit walked out to the foremost mic. Subtle, relaxed applause echoed throughout the venue as she smiled and bowed, and began to announce the show and lineup. Wonwoo was surprised to hear that there would be three different performers putting on sets tonight. He wondered how late it would run.

His and Soonyoung’s drinks were brought to the table, and the waiter gave them a dinner menu to look over. Soonyoung took it first, poring over it intensely. Wonwoo focused his attention at the stage, where the MC was now leaving and being replaced by the members of the first act. A group of jazz musicians from the university nearby, the MC had noted. They were exceptionally dressed, Wonwoo couldn’t help but notice. Their jewelry was dazzling under the bright spotlights, and they seemed terribly professional as they began to set up.

Wonwoo’s view was suddenly obscured by some tall person taking photos near the front of the stage. Wonwoo paid no mind, simply turning his attention back to the table to take a look at the dinner menu. But then, he froze. He looked back up, only to see his suspicions confirmed.

There was Kim Mingyu, holding a camera and wandering from spot to spot to see where he could get the best photos. Wonwoo couldn’t believe his eyes. He stared for longer than he cared to admit, but he needed to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. Could they really, _seriously_ be having another coincidental run-in? Wonwoo watched him take a photo, and the recognizable grin that followed erased all doubt from his mind. He was wearing suspenders with black slacks, and the sleeves of his well-fitted shirt were rolled up to the elbows. He appeared to fit the scene too, especially with his camera. He snapped a few more photos, exchanged some words with the band from below the stage, and then made his way back to the table he’d been sitting at. He was directly in Wonwoo’s line of sight towards the stage.

“Hey, hello?” Soonyoung’s voice rang, grabbing Wonwoo’s attention. Startled, he pulled his eyes away and turned to his friend, who was staring at him. “Um, you good? I’ve been talking to you for the last like, minute.”

“Sorry,” Wonwoo muttered, massaging his brow bone. “I got distracted. What were you saying?”

“Jeez, you need to get some alcohol in you. ASAP,” Soonyoung noted, pulling a face. “Anyway. I was telling you about how that girl I went on that date with ended up actually hating pizza, when she told me initially that she loved it. So when I brought some for her, she was all confused and didn’t know what to do, and we had to…”

Soonyoung continued to blabber his story, even when the band began to play. Even as he drank more, Wonwoo still felt unnerved by the fact that Mingyu was also here. Maybe unnerved wasn’t the right word, but he was feeling some type of something. He wanted desperately to zone in on Soonyoung’s story, but his mind--and his eyes--continued to drift elsewhere. He looked quite elegant when he sipped wine, to be honest. But that facade would break as soon as he burst into a huge, toothy laugh towards the person he was sitting with. His eyes and shoulders scrunched up, and he would half-heartedly try to cover his mouth with his hand. Usually though, his hand ended up forming an amused clap with his other hand. His eyes glowed with sincere interest as he leaned in to listen to the person across from him. The light from the stage was illuminating all his features from a perfect angle, making his eyes and smile seem brighter.

As he was listening to something, his eyes wandered around the venue. They met Wonwoo’s. Wonwoo looked away so fast that he thought his eyeballs might rip from their sockets.

“So I thought, who _wouldn’t_ wear tennis shoes on a day like that?” Soonyoung’s exasperated voice rang, finally grounding Wonwoo back to their conversation. “Isn’t that just crazy?”

“Yeah,” Wonwoo said with a certain nod. “That’s like, pretty messed up.”

“That’s what I was saying,” Soonyoung said, tossing his hand out in frustration. “Finally, someone who gets it. Anyway. Have you decided what you wanna order yet?”

“Oh, yeah. I think the pesto gnocchi sounded good,” Wonwoo said, pointing to it on the menu. “I don’t really know what much of this stuff is, to be honest. It’s all New York-style American stuff.”

“I think it all sounds really good,” Soonyoung said surprised. “I mean, I guess I don’t really know what most of it is either, though. But I wanna try all of it. It’s kind of pricy here…”

As Soonyoung concentrated on the menu, Wonwoo sipped his cocktail and listened to the band play. He shouldn’t let it get to him, that Mingyu was also here. That he was here, and unquestionably looked handsome. Oh, god. He can’t believe he just thought that to himself. He squinted and tilted his cocktail back, downing the rest of it in one go.

“Whoa...Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Soonyoung said, going from looking shocked to exploding in a grin. “I’ll get us another round--”

“No, I got it,” Wonwoo said, waving his hand. “You just stay here in case the waiter comes. I’ll be right back.” With that, he stood up. In odd timing, the song came to an end and applause and snaps rang through the venue. Wonwoo wanted to disappear from his spot for a little while.

He made his way to the back, towards the bar. He waited his turn before politely ordering two more drinks.

_And a one, two, three…_

The band began to play again, a soft song flowing with deep bass undertones. A piano melody chimed gently, and Wonwoo found himself swaying a bit to the nostalgic sound as he waited for his drinks. The smell of cigarettes was much stronger by the bar. Maybe he was already a little buzzed.

“Wonwoo?”

Wonwoo stopped swaying to the music. He glanced in the direction of the voice, filled with dread. Sure enough, there was Mingyu making his way over. Damn. He was sure he hadn’t been spotted. There was nothing he could do now except wait for this interaction to unfold.

“Hey,” he said without enthusiasm. Shoot. Maybe it sounded too much like he was overcompensating.

Mingyu cracked a grin. “Hey! It’s me, Mingyu. From the cafe?”

Wonwoo wanted so badly to laugh. “Yes, I know who you are,” he replied, his voice close to cracking.  
  
“Well, what a coincidence to see you here! I thought I saw you at a table a second ago, and I just had to make sure.” Mingyu’s smile was unfaltering. “Small world, huh?”

“Indeed,” Wonwoo said with a nod. He kept his body facing the stage, not turning to the other.

“What do you think about the show so far?” Mingyu asked.

“It’s nice,” Wonwoo said, finally allowing some emotion to form in his voice. “They play really well for being so young. And they look really professional, too.”

“Do you think so?” Mingyu let out a happy sigh, running a hand through his hair. Wonwoo couldn’t help but notice this reaction. “My roommate’s gonna love to hear that. He’s the one who coordinated their outfits. So I’ve been taking pictures of them so he can have some more portfolio pieces.”

Oh, so that must be the person who he was sitting with. His roommate. “That’s awesome. Yeah, they look really good.”

The bartender announced his two drinks, and Wonwoo turned around to receive them. He immediately took two or three decent gulps from his cocktail, wanting to get drunk much quicker now than he did ten minutes ago.

“Are you doing anything after the show?”

Wonwoo stared at him. “What?”

“Do you have plans after this?” Mingyu reiterated. “I was planning to get these photos developed at my studio tonight. I thought you might be interested, since you liked my journal so much. You can come along, if you’d like.”

Immediately, Wonwoo scoffed. He took another gulp of his drink, and shook his head. “No way,” he said with a laugh of disbelief. “I’m not nearly drunk enough to go off somewhere alone with you.”

Mingyu frowned. Taken aback, he glanced around before putting his gaze back on Wonwoo. “Um. What does that mean..?”

His tone of voice was obviously hurt, and Wonwoo detected it immediately. He looked up, only to find the other frowning and looking quite dejected. _Oh, my god,_ Wonwoo thought. _I’m an asshole--a crazy, insane jerk._ Obviously, the guy was not asking him to do anything with...certain implications. He was literally just inviting him to his photo studio. Based on the fact that he’d taken interest in his photography journal. Why had his stupid mind gone there and inferred otherwise? He seriously wanted to kick his own ass right then.

“I...don’t know,” Wonwoo admitted, feeling heavily ashamed. He put a hand to his head. “I don’t know what that meant, I’m so sorry. Christ. No, I’d love to go to your photo studio.”

“Well, I don’t want you to come if you don’t--”

“No, no I want to go,” Wonwoo insisted. Mingyu’s hurt expression softened a little, but not enough. “You’re really kind for inviting me. I am interested in seeing your studio, I swear.”

Finally, Mingyu was able to smile a little. “Okay. But you swear, right?”

In response, Wonwoo made an X over his heart. “I swear. God, now I owe you twice fold, don’t I.”

“I mean, I already told you that the bookmark was no big deal. As for this time, as long as you uphold your swear, I’m fine.” Mingyu’s smile grew, slowly returning to normal, and Wonwoo looked guiltily at his drink. “I don’t want you to feel like you owe me anything. Gosh, I just met you--that’s no way to build a friendship.”

...Build a friendship? Wonwoo looked up from his drink, cursing Mingyu’s modest smile. He supposed that’s what this was turning into. At this point, if they were going to keep running into each other, they might as well make something out of it. Somehow, it made Wonwoo feel even more guilty.

“I should at least give you an explanation,” he murmured. “For my own sake, if anything.”

Mingyu shrugged. “Only if you want. Or we can just forget about it.”

“Let’s just do that for now,” Wonwoo said, nodding and taking another sip. “That sounds good.”

“Great. So, I’ll just find you after the show and we can head to my studio together. It’s at the university, so it’s only like a fifteen-minute walk.” Mingyu’s voice was once again light and excited, which Wonwoo was relieved to notice. “Til then, um, enjoy the show!”

“You too,” Wonwoo said gently, and the two parted with a wave. Wonwoo turned back to face the stage, letting out a long, deep groan. He finished off the rest of his drink, then ordered another.

“That took you long enough,” Soonyoung said, looking up as Wonwoo returned to the table with the drinks.

“Sorry,” he muttered. He placed Soonyoung’s drink in front of him. “I ran into someone I know, and we were chatting.”

Soonyoung raised his brows. “From work?”

“No, from...wow. I don’t know. He works at this cafe by my place?” Wonwoo said, more of a question than an answer.

“Pfft, okay,” Soonyoung snorted, taking a drink. “Suddenly being social and making random friends in your day-to-day life? Who are you, and what did you do with Wonwoo?”

Wonwoo grinned and kicked him under the table, and he coughed with a laugh. “It’s just a coincidental thing. Shut up, dumbass.”

“Oh, speaking of coincidences, get this,” Soonyoung began, setting his drink down. Wonwoo braced himself for another long-winded, dramatic story about nothing.

Their food came shortly after ordering, and they ate deliciously. Now that he’d gotten that awful confrontation out of the way, Wonwoo was able to push Mingyu off his mind and just enjoy dinner with his best friend. He laughed in a loud, obnoxious way that only Soonyoung could get out of him. And his spirits just got higher and higher as they had more drinks and filled up on their food. By the time the MC came back onto the stage to announce the end of all three performances, Wonwoo had to say he was surprised that time flew so fast.

“Oh--hey,” Soonyoung said, squinting at his phone. “Some friends from work are inviting me out. There’s this bar we frequent, it’s not too far. D’you wanna come?”

“No, no no,” Wonwoo said, shaking his head. He tilted his glass back, only to find it empty. He frowned.

“Pleeeease,” Soonyoung begged, repeatedly smacking the back of Wonwoo’s hand. “It’ll be so fun, I promise!”

“I’ve got plans,” Wonwoo admitted, smacking Soonyoung’s hand in retaliation. “Sorry dude.”

“Plans?” Soonyoung repeated. His jaw dropped and he slumped in his chair. “Plans?! First, you’re making new friends and now you’ve got plans?!?”

Wonwoo picked up his fork (fumbling it), and pointed it at Soonyoung. “Hey, if you wanna get me to go places with you, you better stop talking shit!”

“Okay, okay okay,” Soonyoung giggled, putting his hands up in defense. “Fine! But it’s so late for you, and you never...oh, Wonwoo. Do you have plans with a girl?”

Wonwoo’s cheerfully drunk disposition started to fizzle out. “No, it’s not that.”

Soonyoung snapped his fingers in defeat. “Damn. At least if you had plans to get laid, that’d be more respectable.”

“Hey, what did I say about talking shit?”

“Right, right--okay, put the fork down..!”

As they exited the club, the cool night air hit their flushed cheeks. Soonyoung turned to his friend, and threw out his arms wide. Reluctantly, Wonwoo gave in.

“This was so fun,” Soonyoung said, wiggling Wonwoo in his arms. “Let’s do it again soon, okay? I’m glad we found something you enjoy.”

“Yeah, let’s,” Wonwoo agreed. He hiccupped, and heard Soonyoung laugh. “Are you taking a taxi?”

“Probably.” With a happy sigh, Soonyoung let go and looked his friend over. “Are you?”

“No, I’m walking,” Wonwoo replied. Soonyoung gave him a doubtful look. “Don’t worry, I won’t be alone. Even if I was, I’d be fine.”

Soonyoung rolled his eyes. “You think you’re so tough,” he grumbled. He gave Wonwoo’s ear a yank. “Alright, well have fun with your _plans_ , man. I’ll see ya soon.”

“See ya.”

Mingyu was bouncing on his feet in the night time chill. Minghao had stayed after a bit to catch up with the band, and seemed fine when Mingyu said he wouldn’t be back until late. “Just don’t exhaust yourself,” he’d cautioned. But, as Mingyu reassured him, he loved working in the photo studio. It wouldn’t be a problem.

He finally spotted Wonwoo making his way over, and he waved. Upon seeing him, Wonwoo nodded and made a beeline towards him. When they met, Mingyu could tell he was quite tipsy. If the redness in his cheeks wasn’t a dead giveaway, then his enormous smile definitely was.

“You seem to be in a better mood,” Mingyu commented as they began to walk together. “Were the drinks good?”

“Oh, they were great,” Wonwoo explained with a false air of seriousness. “Are you implying that you didn’t have any?”

“I just had one glass of wine.”

“Well, we should fix that immediately.”

Mingyu laughed. “Maybe in a little while. I’ve got to develop these photos first, remember?”

“Right, yes,” Wonwoo nodded. “Can’t be drunk for that. Or can you?”

“Preferably not.”

“Preferably not.”

Although Mingyu started to walk at his normal pace, he realized that he should slow down a bit. Not because Wonwoo was shorter than him, per se, but mostly because Wonwoo was drunk and probably not able to walk as quickly as normal. Their walk ended up taking closer to twenty minutes, but that was fine. They talked about the show for the most part, as well as the venue itself. Turns out they both had quite a good first experience there.

“I’m definitely planning on going back,” Wonwoo said, standing to the side as Mingyu fished out his keys. “I mean, I hope to, anyway. I don’t think my friend was too into it.”

Mingyu pulled out his student key for the art building, pushing into the lock and opening the door. “No?” he asked, holding the door open for Wonwoo. “Not his scene?”

Wonwoo was thankful for the warmth of the building. “Not quiiiite,” he said, turning to wait for the other. “He likes a higher-energy place. Which is what _I_ don’t really like. So it’s tricky.”

Hmm, Mingyu hummed in understanding. He led them down a hallway, to a flight of stairs. “Well I’m sure I’ll be going back there. You can always come with me and my roommate, if you’d like. Watch your step.”

Wonwoo clutched the rail fiercely as they ascended to the second floor. “I don’t know your roommate,” he said.

“Yeah, well it was implied that you could meet him,” Mingyu said in amusement. “But we can go too, just the two of us. That would be fun too.”

“Are you trying to make me commit to things while I’m inebriated?” Wonwoo accused, stumbling on the very last step and catching himself with a laugh.

“No!” Mingyu said defensively. “You don’t have to commit to anything! I’m just extending an invitation.”

“Suspicious,” Wonwoo mumbled, following Mingyu to a door. He watched him use his key once more to open it, and followed him in. “Is this the studio?”

Mingyu flipped the lights on. “Sure is. I share it with four other students, so when I said it was mine I kind of lied,” he said with a chuckle.

Wonwoo waved his finger beratingly. “See? Suspicious,” he reaffirmed. Nonetheless, he stepped into the room and began to stroll around. Mingyu trailed a few paces behind him, letting him wander at his own discretion.

To be totally honest with himself, Wonwoo’s vision was a bit questionable. He was maybe more drunk than he wanted to admit. Even with his glasses on, he had to squint at the photos to make out the crisp details. He clasped his hands behind his back, as if he were in a museum. “This is all student work?” he asked, to which Mingyu nodded. “Where’s your stuff?”

“This back corner,” Mingyu said, jerking his head in the direction of his collection. Wonwoo trotted over to it, and Mingyu dashed after him with a laugh.

His portion of the studio was sectioned off by a couple screens. Behind the screens lay a plethora of equipment: bags, tripods, flash umbrellas, stools and chairs, and a shelf stacked high with boxes and containers. Upon closer inspection, Wonwoo saw that they were all labeled with various dates, names, places, or other such identifiers. They must all be photos or negatives.

Despite all the equipment, Wonwoo found himself gravitating towards the back wall. It was entirely covered in photos of varying sizes, and his mouth parted just a bit as he became absorbed in all of them. They all looked like they were cut out from magazines, or printed off the internet. They were stunning. With wide eyes and his mouth still open, he turned to Mingyu. “Did you take all of these?”

“No, that’s just my inspiration board.”

“Oh.”

Mingyu snorted. “Yes, I took all of those. What do you think?”

“I think _you_ ,” Wonwoo began, pausing for extra effect, “are a bastard who makes bad jokes.”

“I try.”

Wonwoo pulled a face at him, and went back to looking at the photos. Mingyu made his way over as well, standing behind him and following his gaze. They stood there for a while, not really saying anything. Wonwoo uttered the occasional _ohhh_ or _wow_ here and there, and hiccupped, but nothing else.

“These are really, really fantastic,” Wonwoo breathed. He turned around to face Mingyu. “You’re really good. Do you showcase your photos anywhere? Or sell a photobook?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that,” Mingyu said bashfully. “Um, I uhh...I have an instagram though?”

Wonwoo gestured for him to hurry up and get his phone out. Embarrassed, he did so and pulled up his instagram account. Wonwoo peered at his screen, digging out his own phone in the process. He typed in Mingyu’s username and immediately followed his account, and put his phone away again. He used Mingyu’s phone to scroll through his photos, opening up a few to get a better look.

“This is so cool,” Wonwoo said wistfully, though he was still smiling in awe. “I love all of it, I really do.”

“Thanks,” Mingyu said, growing more and more embarrassed as he was showered with compliments. He then locked his phone and put it away. “Enough of that, though. Let’s get these photos developed.”

They left the studio to go into the room across the hall, which was an incredibly tight space with only another door and a small table. The door was labeled DARK ROOM. Mingyu again opened it with his key, and the two went inside.

Wonwoo was immediately delighted. He’d always wanted to go inside a dark room, for whatever reason. The glaring red environment was so mysterious and unique, and he felt as if he was walking around a cube filled with red liquid. The tables, equipment, and walls were red. The light and the space in the room was red. Mingyu was red. Wonwoo laughed with joy.

“Okay, okay show me what you do,” he said, coming up behind Mingyu to look over his shoulder. Well, not over his shoulder he supposed, but around it. He wasn’t tall enough to see over it comfortably.

“So first, I get the negatives.” Mingyu pressed a few buttons on his camera, causing it to make a mechanical whirring sound. Then he popped the back open, taking out a roll of film. He used a tool from the table to pull a long, black strip out of the roll. He wiggled it at Wonwoo.

“Next, we enlarge the photos using this,” he said, moving over to a machine that was bolted to the table. He laid the negatives down on it, adjusting scales and bars to get the right focus and size. Wonwoo watched with intent, asking a million questions as they went along. It wasn’t until they had the print soaking in chemicals that there was finally a patch of silence.

“You know, I’ve never met someone who’s been so interested in the developing process,” Mingyu commented. Wonwoo’s red cheeks were no longer discernible from the rest of his face, which was also red.

“I just think it’s interesting,” Wonwoo said. He shrugged. “I dunno. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Mingyu nodded. “That makes sense. I guess I was really enchanted by it the first time, too. I’ve just gotten used to it.” He looked up from the tray that held the developing photo, reaching for tongs that hung on the wall. “It’s refreshing.”

Wonwoo said nothing and only smiled. He watched as Mingyu pulled the photo out of the tray, moving it to the sink and rinsing it in water. He figured that now was not the best time to bring up the fact that he was going through an existential crisis, and any instance of art or creativity that he could get his hands on, he clung to for dear life. He also, _especially_ , did not want to mention that he’d always thought photographers to be kind of cute. He bit his lip to stay quiet.

“Aaand, there we have it,” Mingyu announced, pulling the dripping photo out from the sink. He hung it up to dry at the station adjacent to the sink. “One developed photo. Not too bad, huh?”

“It’s great,” Wonwoo said, leaning in to get a better look at the glossy print. “Are you going to do the whole roll tonight?”

“I don’t think so, but I’ll probably do half or so.” Mingyu gestured his hand towards the glaring red lights. “Spending too long in here at one time really messes up my eyes.”

Wonwoo nodded--that made sense. That wouldn’t be good for anybody. He remained silent and observant as Mingyu began the process all over again, starting from the strip of negatives. With the last remaining bits of his sobriety, he thought about how he was watching the homework process of a student. This had been him, just a few months ago, except….except he couldn’t have been more different. Mingyu seemed to be studying what he was _actually_ passionate about. Wonwoo didn’t think people really did that. In his time at university, it seemed that the world had been telling him to put his interests aside and pursue a _useful_ degree. And so he had, and he made it out just fine. Just fine…

He heard Mingyu softly humming a song as he worked with the equipment. Wonwoo glanced at his face. He wasn’t exactly smiling, but he looked...content. He looked very at peace, developing his photo as he hummed. Wonwoo found himself wishing desperately to be able to recall the last time he’d been in a disposition like that. Maybe it was just the alcohol, but he couldn’t. He watched Mingyu with mixed feelings. As Mingyu began to rinse the photo and see the final product, a smile finally did spread across his face. Wonwoo stared. He blinked.

Thank god the room was entirely red. Or else he knew his blush would be immediately identifiable.

Mingyu turned. “Do--”

“I should get going,” Wonwoo said bluntly.

Now it was Mingyu’s turn to stare and blink. “Oh. Already? I thought we were going to get some beer later or something.”

“I’m a lot more drunk than I thought,” Wonwoo said. Which at this point, maybe wasn’t a lie. “And you have work to do. Good work. You should...work.”

“I--uh, okay,” Mingyu stammered. Despite his shock, he still managed a chuckle. “Yeah, that’s fine. If you’re that drunk I guess you should get home.”

“I guess.” Wonwoo hiccupped. “Well. Okay. Bye.”

“Wait,” Mingyu said, even though Wonwoo hadn’t moved yet. “This place is kind of a maze, so let me at least get you to a taxi.”

Wonwoo eyed him. “Okay. Thanks.”

As they exited the building, Mingyu held the door open for a dizzy-eyed Wonwoo. It was pretty cold now, but thanks to his ridiculous blush, Wonwoo’s face remained fairly warm.

“Y’know, I was going to tell you,” Mingyu began, tugging Wonwoo by the elbow in the opposite direction of where he had started to wander. “There’s nothing but classrooms over there. Anyway, I was going to tell you that I’m going to have my work up in a campus gallery soon. You should drop by if you can!”

Wonwoo’s eyes bore holes into the ground passing beneath his feet. He folded his arms over his chest, pulling his elbow out of Mingyu’s grasp. “Yeah, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Awesome!” Mingyu explained, apparently unaware of the extreme hesitation in Wonwoo’s voice. “And you should come sober. That way we can actually get drinks afterwards.”

“Uh-huh,” was all Wonwoo had the strength to say.

They finally got to a busy street, and Mingyu hailed a taxi in no time. He opened the back door and watched with amusement as Wonwoo drunkenly clambered in while trying to look compose. Mingyu leaned over the taxi door and ducked his head. “I’ll send you more details about the gallery soon,” he said, getting a nod out of the other. “Okay, have a restful night!”

He stepped back and pushed the cab door closed, giving a friendly wave to the driver. He watched them pull away from the curb, then began to make his way back to campus while humming.

Wonwoo huddled into the corner of the backseat, staying absolutely silent. The only thing he muttered was his address, followed with a _please_. He stared with frustration out the window. When the taxi arrived at his apartment, he thanked the driver and paid generously, then was silent again. He was silent as he made his way up to his suite, and silent as he made his way inside. He was silent as Cheebu greeted him with cheerful meows, merely kneeling down to pet him. He was silent as he slipped off his shoes and coat, and silent as he shuffled tipsily into his room. He pulled off his sweater and his pants, then flopped face-down onto the middle of his bed.

He finally broke his silence with a long, anguished groan into his blanket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the first chapter was so short, this one is more my style!! i hope u enjoy! <3


	3. One By One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo makes it to Mingyu's photo gallery. Mingyu experiences something new and beautiful. And of course, they get drinks.

Mingyu arranged all the photos in a grid across Minghao’s desk. As he did so, Minghao nodded silently next to him, observing each one in great detail. Once they were all displayed, he took a step aside to let his roommate get a better look at all of them. 

“You know the drill,” Mingyu said with an air of pride. “Just let me know which ones you want more prints of, or larger sizes of.” 

Minghao hummed in response, leaning over his desk with his hands clasped behind his back. It was as if he was observing a piece at a museum. “This was a fantastic shoot,” he remarked. “They all came out really well, Mingyu. It’s going to be hard to choose.” 

“Aw, thanks,” was Mingyu’s bashful response. “Obviously, no rush to make your choices. But, I do have to dash off in a bit, to meet with the gallery organizers. I’ll just leave all these photos with you.” 

Minghao straightened up and gave a quick nod. “I appreciate it. Thanks again.” 

Mingyu gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder before turning away to start getting ready. He pulled on a hoodie and roughly combed his hair, trying to make himself look a bit presentable at least. He gathered his materials and was soon out the door, making his way to campus and then to the arts department. 

The meeting was not all that thrilling. He should have expected that, he supposed. The entire first half of the meeting was just the organizers dragging on conversations about where to get food catered from, where to put up flyers, who to contact in order to reserve the room, and so on. Boring event planning stuff. Mingyu and the other artist whose work was to be featured sat around, bouncing their legs impatiently. Finally, after a good chunk of time had passed, he and the others were able to coordinate with the organizers on how they wanted their displays to look. 

As it was his first professional gallery exhibit, Mingyu wanted to go for something relatively safe and professional. Something sleek, eye-catching, but also classic and easily appreciated. Simple frames, intricate layouts, and targeted spotlights were ideal. However, he also wanted to include two or three stools for people to sit at. 

“You want stools to be part of your exhibit?” the coordinator asked, pausing before she wrote that down. 

Mingyu nodded. “Yes ma’am,” he confirmed. “I would like to have them placed in the viewing area, where people would normally stand and walk by. I’d like viewers to have the option to sit down.” 

The coordinator eyed him curiously for just a moment more, before dutifully going back to her notes and writing that down. Mingyu couldn’t help but bite his lip and smile with excitement. 

Over the next two weeks, he worked on setting up his gallery. He borrowed some of Minghao’s art supplies to make a flyer as well. After making scans of it one afternoon, he returned to his room with a small stack of the flyers in his arm. He found Minghao sitting at his desk with tea, a newspaper spread out before him. Not an unusual scene. As soon as Mingyu began to put his things down, however, he heard some disapproving grunts from his roommate. 

“Something up?” he asked. 

Minghao gathered the newspaper up, folding it into his lap. He spun his chair to face Mingyu, holding the tea cup to his lips. “Nothing really. A professor at a nearby university is being pressured to resign after it was discovered that she’s gay.” 

Mingyu, as usual, could not read his roommate’s calm and unwavering tone. He proceeded cautiously. “Resigning? Because...she’s gay?”

“Yeah,” Minghao answered. He took a sip of his tea. “Shame, isn’t it.” 

Mingyu pursed his lips together in thought. Shame that she was being forced to resign, or shame that she was gay? He really could not tell his roommate’s opinion. He decided that he didn’t want to press any further. “Well,” was all he said. 

“Well.” Minghao echoed curtly. He nodded towards the stack of flyers in the crook of Mingyu’s arm. “I’m guessing those are for your gallery?”

“Fresh off the press,” Mingyu confirmed. Good way to push that conversation out of his head. He put the stack down on his desk, keeping only one in his hands. He handed it to Minghao, who inspected it delicately. “Do you think you could take a quick picture of me holding it? Just to put online.” 

Minghao handed it back, and Mingyu promptly handed over his phone. He held the flyer up to his face, masking his mouth and nose. He looked at the camera with eyes that made it clear he was still smiling behind the paper. 

“Cute!” Minghao said, handing the phone back after taking several photos in quick succession. “It’s a good flyer. Let me know if you want my help in putting any of them up.” 

“Thanks, man,” Mingyu replied, already going over the pictures that Minghao took. Looked pretty good to him. He pulled one up on instagram, lightly editing it before typing out a caption and posting it. 

He went to Wonwoo’s account. He had followed him right back after sending him off in the taxi, but hadn’t gotten a chance to go through his profile. Not that he really had a reason to, he supposed. He flopped down onto his bed to get comfortable before taking a peep. 

_ Jeon Wonwoo  _ was the name listed on the profile. Jeon, huh. Mingyu realized he hadn’t known the other’s surname until just now. There was nothing in his bio except for the city they lived in, and the smirking cat emoji. Quite helpful.

It didn’t take more than two seconds of scrolling to realize that there was a theme to his photos: cats. It was mostly pictures of the same cat in various poses. Scattered here and there were pictures of people and friends, a scenic landscape, food, and books. But it was mostly cats. There was not a single picture of himself, save for a few semi-selfies that were meant to be focused on his cat. 

There was a post near the top of his profile that Mingyu missed at first. It was a photo of a cup of coffee and a slice of bread, neatly placed by his open book. The caption read: _ I’m addicted to this new cream bread thing I just tried...I’m gonna get fat lol.  _

Oh--! That was from the cafe. Mingyu snickered and liked the post. 

Wait. He quickly unliked it. That probably would’ve come off weird. 

He sent his new post, the selfie with the flyer, to Wonwoo’s messages.  _ Hey! Here’s the info for that gallery I mentioned the other day _ , he wrote.  _ I hope you can make it! Bring a friend if you want~ _ , he also added. 

He locked his phone and tossed it away, onto his blanket. 

  
  


“I’m sorry man, I just don’t wanna go to a  _ photo gallery _ ,” Soonyoung drawled, saying photo gallery as if it were synonymous with watching paint dry. 

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Wonwoo reassured him. “You never force me to do things that I don’t want to. So I won’t do that to you, either.”

Soonyoung pulled a pout. “Now I feel bad.”

“What? Why?”

“Because you’re so thoughtful.”

“No, oh my god,” Wonwoo said. “You’re the one who’s thoughtful first, get it? By not making me do things? So I’m just reciprocating the gesture.” 

Soonyoung put his forehead to Wonwoo’s shoulder, making a small and pathetic noise. Wonwoo groaned amusingly, giving his friend’s arm a slap. 

“Hey, ouch! Jerk,” Soonyoung yelped, hitting Wonwoo back with a laugh. “Anyway, I’m sure you’ll have a blast. Call me afterwards for drinks, though?” 

“Eh, I think I’m actually supposed to get some with the guy who’s hosting the gallery,” Wonwoo admitted. Soonyoung heaved an exaggerated sigh. “I know, I know. But it’s on a Friday night, so why don’t we just get together the next day? We can get some hangover food for lunch.” 

“Mmm,” Soonyoung hummed. “Yeah, we can totally do that.” He stood up from the couch, giving a full-bodied stretch. He then started picking up the empty food containers they’d brought home from the convenience store. He brought them into Wonwoo’s small kitchen, sorting out the trash from the recycling. “Who’s this guy, anyway? I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned having a photographer friend.” 

Wonwoo put his hands together as Soonyoung waltzed back over, trying to smooth out his disheveled work clothes. “Um, do you remember at the jazz club when I said I ran into this guy who works at the cafe right up the street? Well, that’s him. He’s a student at the local university too, and he invited me to see his gallery.” 

Soonyoung gawked at him. “You’re hanging out with some random barista who works nearby?” he asked in disbelief. “Whoa. Doesn’t that only happen in like, dramas and stuff? That’s kinda romantic, dude.” 

“No, no it’s not romantic!” Wonwoo exclaimed. 

“Hehe, no not in  _ your  _ situation,” Soonyoung clarified, amused at his friend’s distress. “But the general concept. Don’t you think? Isn’t that like something you’d read in a book?”

“I guess,” huffed Wonwoo, trying not to turn red.

“Too bad he’s not a cute barista  _ girl _ ,”  Soonyoung said wistfully. “Now that’d be some real romantic drama content. You walk up to the counter, and the delicious smell of coffee is replaced with the sweet scent of her perfume...when she smiles at you, you forget that you even needed caffeine in the first place…”

“Okay,  _ someone’s  _ lonely,” Wonwoo teased, cutting Soonyoung’s fantasy short. He received a hasty smack on the shoulder. 

Soonyoung left not too long after they finished cleaning up their dinner. It was a weeknight, and the both of them still had to be up early the next morning, regrettably. Wonwoo did some quick organizing and a sloppy vacuum job before heading to the bathroom to shower. 

He removed his work clothes and folded them neatly on the counter. Too bad he’s not a cute barista girl, Soonyoung had said. Yes, it was too bad. Wonwoo thought back to the other night at the jazz club and the dark room. He had been thinking back on it constantly ever since it had happened. In fact, he could say he was tormenting himself with it. Though the night had ended with his drunken collapse onto his bed, he was upset to wake up in the morning feeling just as terrible. The whole day afterwards, he just lounged around his apartment and played games, trying to forget about the whole thing. But that would be asking himself for too much. 

“A cute barista girl,” he murmured to himself, stepping into the stream of hot water. He sighed. That would just make everything easier, wouldn’t it. But that simply wasn’t the situation, and facts were facts. Kim Mingyu was an energetic and handsome guy--no one in their right mind would deny that. From a purely objective point of view, Mingyu was good-looking. To call him attractive would be implying an opinion, so Wonwoo avoided that. 

But, he was  _ very  _ good-looking. 

And he couldn’t be mad at Soonyoung, not for a second. To imply that Wonwoo should only foster a crush on a barista  _ girl  _ was a given. He didn’t know any better. No, not even that--he just didn’t know. He didn’t know. 

Wonwoo stood, closing his eyes and letting the hot water pummel the top of his head and his face. 

 

Friday night came around gradually. 

As expected, Wonwoo was filled with a mixture of both excitement and dread. Nervousness was added into the mix when it came time for him to decide what to wear. 

“Just pick something, it’s not a big deal,” he muttered to himself, and maybe Cheebu, who was hovering near his ankles. He pulled out a light cotton coat and some checked trousers, then paused. Was that too formal? He’d never been to an art gallery before--what was the dress code? Maybe he should be a little more creative and expressive with his outfit. He had no fucking idea. He set the coat and trousers aside as he rummaged through his wardrobe for another outfit. A t-shirt and a bomber jacket? He might fit with the university scene much better if he dressed this way. After all, he didn’t want to seem like a professor or a curator or anything. And it might be more appropriate for getting drinks afterwards. 

“Don’t think about it, just put it on,” he said, laughing a bit to himself and his nervousness. He pulled on a pair of ripped black jeans as well, something that he realized he hadn’t worn in quite some time. After fixing up his hair and polishing his glasses, he took a glance in the mirror and thought he looked quite nice. 

Cheebu mewled up at him, curling around his calves. “What do you think?” Wonwoo asked, setting his shoulders and trying to shake the nervousness out of himself. He pulled the sleeves of his jacket down over his hands. To top it off, he pulled on a pair of white sneakers. He gave himself one last look-over in the mirror before heading out. It was definitely an outfit he hadn’t worn in a while, but it felt comfortable. It felt familiar. He really did look like a university student again, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. 

Anticipating that he’d have some nerves going into this whole thing, Wonwoo gave himself time to walk to the university instead of taxi there. His app said it would be about a 30-minute walk, and he let out a content sigh. As he began walking, he put his headphones on and let music take away his worries. The evening spring air felt fresh, and slightly warm with the promise of sunnier weather to come. He passed by the cafe, bustling with customers and couples. He got a delicious whiff of bold coffee as he passed, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. 

Once on campus, Wonwoo followed the signs that were directing visitors to the gallery. It was hosted in a rather large room, and as Wonwoo put his headphones away he could hear quite a chatter surrounding him. There was a table at the entrance to the room, where a few students were seated with a number of materials before them. Instinctively, Wonwoo wandered over to find that they were handing out pamphlets and guides to the exhibits. They also had business cards and resumes from some of the featured artists. 

“Thank you,” Wonwoo said softly as he was handed a guide from one of the students. He gestured towards Mingyu’s business card. “May I take one?” 

“Of course,” she said with an enthusiastic nod. “Mingyu’s photos are quite good, aren’t they? It’s awesome to be in a program with someone as talented as him.” 

Wonwoo smiled. 

With the flow of the crowd, he made his way into the gallery and weaved through groups of people. He took a quick look at each exhibit, but never spent too long in one place. He finally spotted Mingyu, standing about a head taller than everyone around him. He was holding a drink and a finger sandwich, talking excitedly with the group of students who surrounded him. Wonwoo knew better than to intrude. So instead, he slipped around them and went over to Mingyu’s exhibit, just a little ways away. 

He noted that there were a couple of bar stools in front of Mingyu’s exhibit. His seemed to be the only one who had any. Wonwoo gently sat down on one, sitting and observing all the photos. 

He looked at each photo for a long time, one by one. He’d cycle through the photos and start again, noticing something new in each photo every time he looked at it. A certain shape of the shadow falling across someone’s face. The pop of yellow from someone’s t-shirt, walking along the other side of the street. The bike in front of the flower stand. The sharp focus of a broad, angled shoulder. And then all over again, for another round. 

The same feeling he had when he was leafing through Mingyu’s journal, or exploring the photo studio and dark room, began to fill him once more. It was, however, a bit more peaceful this time. Maybe he was learning to accept this feeling, and welcome it a little. He sighed and looked longingly at the photos. He did, in fact, feel some regret. He could have gotten a degree in literature, or creative writing. Maybe even game development, if he would have taken himself that seriously. Sure, he had done well in his communications program but that came from a place of diligent studying, not passion or interest. As he had told himself at the time, it was the  _ professional  _ version of his ideal degree. A realistic, applicable version. 

At first, he was just envious of Mingyu. He was envious and not much else. But now, he was taking a moment to be thoughtful. He realized that he also really admired Mingyu for pursuing photography. He had liked it since he was a child, he’d said. Just like Wonwoo had liked reading and writing. So, what was the difference between them? He didn’t know Mingyu very well yet, but he could sense a deeper enthusiasm for life that emanated from him. An enthusiasm that Wonwoo knew he lacked. 

He gently twiddled his thumbs as he continued to gaze at the photos. Though he couldn’t help feeling a bite of jealousy, he was still glad he stopped by. Maybe it was a stretch to say that Mingyu’s work was  _ inspiring _ . But it was enough to stir a sense of joy within his jaded self. 

When Mingyu was finally done greeting guests, he watched from afar for a while. A few minutes after sitting on a stool, Wonwoo had started to swing his legs. Aside from that, he barely moved. Not even to pull out his phone or scratch his nose. He just sat, swung his legs, and occasionally tilted his head this way and that to look at different photos. Other visitors would stroll by, stop for a few minutes to give his exhibit a once-over. And they would cooly continue on their way to see the other exhibits. There were more groups that passed than Mingyu cared to keep track of, all while Wonwoo still continued to sit there. A staff member came by to let him know that the gallery would be closing in about fifteen minutes. Mingyu glanced at his watch, and eventually decided to head over. 

He pulled up the other barstool, quietly sitting. He glanced at his photos for a moment, then at his devoted viewer. He didn’t flinch, or even blink. Mingyu wondered if he even knew that someone had sat next to him. 

“...You can’t possibly like them  _ that  _ much,” Mingyu finally said, breaking the silence. 

Wonwoo didn’t reply immediately. He didn’t turn at the sound of a voice, either. Mingyu wasn’t sure if he had even heard him at all. 

“I’ve never appreciated a photo before,” Wonwoo said, many moments later. “I’ve seen so many. But I’ve never sat down and appreciated any.” 

Mingyu regarded the other’s calm, almost serene face. His voice seemed extremely soft. “What do you mean?”

“...Books,” Wonwoo began, still not looking away from the photos. “I appreciate books. Every word holds so much meaning. A writer puts such careful thought into how each sentence unfolds, how each chapter builds, to make sure the story comes across the way they want it to. Every move they make has a purpose. And you can see it, in books. Read a book twice, and you may see it differently than before.” 

Mingyu found himself looking towards the ground as the other lamented about books. So, that’s why he read them more than once sometimes. Mingyu wished he could understand. 

“That’s what I’m finding in your photos.” 

Mingyu looked back up to find Wonwoo’s eyes on him, sharp and earnest in the bright gallery lighting. 

Caught off-guard, Mingyu’s mouth fell open just a bit. “I--uh, oh,” he stuttered, looking back at his photos. He awkwardly straightened his back and shrugged, tossing out his hand in attempt to be nonchalant. “It’s not that like, deep or whatever, I just…”

He trailed off, not sure how to argue. Helplessly, he turned back towards Wonwoo, who was sitting in the same stoic pose with an unreadable face. 

“Don’t undervalue your work,” he said, his voice even quieter now. “I saw your journal. You work hard, and you plan for your photos to be just right. The other night, in the dark room, I saw how many variations of each shot you took. I know there’s a process to your work. I’m trying to appreciate it...you should, too.” 

Mingyu was speechless. He watched Wonwoo slide off the stool and roll the stiffness out of his shoulders. He’d never heard Wonwoo say so many words at once, he was sure of that. He could tell immediately that this was a rare occurrence. And, wow...what a load of words it’d been. He wanted to absorb each word into his mind and keep them for as long as he could. 

“...Thank you,” he eventually managed to get out, bowing graciously. “Really. Thank you.” 

Back to his reserved self, Wonwoo only hummed in response. “Should we get drinks?” he asked a few moments later, after giving the photos one more gaze.

“Um, yeah,” Mingyu said, sliding off his stool as well. “The gallery is closing in about five minutes, so now we’re just waiting for all the current visitors to leave. I’m obligated to stay until everyone leaves, of course. But you can hang out, if you want. It should only be a few minutes.” 

“Cool,” Wonwoo said. “Let me know if you need help.” Mingyu watched as he turned on his heel, slowly walking in the other direction to get one last glimpse at the rest of the art. 

  
  


The pub was pretty packed. It  _ was  _ Friday night after all, Mingyu supposed. Still, the two of them were seated right away, at a small table by the window. Wonwoo turned the menu sideways so they could both look over it at the same time. 

“Oh, it’s happy hour,” Wonwoo noted. “All you can drink beer for fifteen bucks. How about it?”

“Sounds good to me,” Mingyu said happily. “You hungry at all?”

Wonwoo started to shrug his coat off, hanging it over the back of his chair. “Not really. I had dinner before coming here.”

“Got it. Well I spent my whole night in the gallery, so I’m starved,” Mingyu announced. He followed suit and took his jacket off as well. “I’m just gonna get whatever, then. But go ahead and have some if you want.” 

The waiter quickly came by, and the two ordered their drink sets as well as Mingyu’s food. Maybe it was a bit much to start, but he really was starving. He was banking on the hope that Wonwoo would actually have some. Their first pints of beer came and they had cheers. 

“To a successful photo exhibition,” Wonwoo said with a seemingly genuine smile. 

Mingyu clinked their mugs together a bit bashfully. “Thank you,” he laughed. 

The first drink was ice cold, hoppy, and extremely refreshing. Mingyu was the first to begin chatting, which Wonwoo was more than grateful for. He was complaining about his roommate, who apparently only ever had one or two expensive drinks at most and never ordered any food. He was too eloquent, apparently. Great guy--amazing guy actually. Just too damn fancy sometimes. 

“Actually, he showed--” Mingyu began, spooning some soup into his mouth. He paused, the spoon in mid-air.

Wonwoo waited. “He showed you what…?” 

Mingyu swore at himself. After a few beers, he was already tipsy and starting to run his mouth. “Ah, nothing. Sorry, haha.”

Wonwoo shook his head in disapproval. “Nope. You gotta tell me now. That’s the rule.” 

Desperate to stall for time, Mingyu pushed the soup into his mouth. Unfortunately for him, it was just soup, and he swallowed it quickly without having to chew much. Well, Wonwoo was right. That  _ was  _ the rule. He gritted his teeth in defeat. “He um. He showed me this news article this morning. Apparently a professor at a nearby university is being forced to retire because it was discovered that she...is gay.” 

Wonwoo was holding his beer to his mouth, and froze for a moment. But after a few seconds, he resumed drinking. “Hm,” he hummed, expressionless. “Why did you hesitate to tell me?”

That was a question that Mingyu had  _ not  _ been anticipating. He quickly drank more beer. “Um, because it’s a pretty controversial subject, I guess.” 

Wonwoo nodded. “Yeah, it is. So why bring it up in the first place?” 

Despite the nature of Wonwoo’s questions, Mingyu did not feel like he was being interrogated or anything like that. It just seemed like Wonwoo was genuinely curious. He relaxed a little. 

“Well, I guess I think it’s pretty messed up,” he ventured. Earlier, with Minghao, the short conversation hadn’t really made room for any expansion. But he felt like he could speak his mind here, with Wonwoo. “I read the full article on my own. Apparently the school only found out because a couple of students had stalked her personal life. Instead of reprimanding the students for their behavior, they’re punishing her. I mean, I don’t know anything about law, really, but it seems...wrong.” 

Wonwoo fiddled with his chopsticks. As he thought, Mingyu took this opportunity to order another beer (and he did so quickly). “Are you really that surprised, though? They can’t have a lesbian professor at their school.”

Mingyu blinked. “They can’t?”

Wonwoo tilted his head. “No, of course not. No university in Korea can.” 

“I--I know gay marriage is illegal but,” Mingyu began, embarrassed. He kept his voice low. “But it’s not illegal to just  _ be  _ gay.”

Closing his eyes, Wonwoo took a long sip of beer. He realized now that his head was fuzzy as well. “Maybe not on paper,” he murmured. 

Mingyu leaned back in his chair. There was silence between them as a waitress came to their table with Mingyu’s next beer. It took a second for Wonwoo’s cynical answers to register, but eventually he understood what Wonwoo was getting at. Even though it wasn’t officially illegal, it might as well be with the way society treated queer individuals. 

Mingyu huffed. “I just wished there was something that could be done about it. Those snooping punks should learn a lesson.” 

“Yeah, god knows what would be found if someone stalked  _ their  _ personal lives,” Wonwoo scoffed. “Things a million times worse than a woman and her relationship, I’m sure.” 

Mingyu laughed, relieved. Relieved that Wonwoo could make a joke out of it all. He finally relaxed and reached for his next beer. “Yeah, I bet,” he agreed. “God, I’ve had that on my mind all day ever since my roommate told me about it this morning.”

Wonwoo smiled. “A troubled mind is a heavy burden.” 

At that point, Mingyu was too drunk and high-spirited to suppress the giggles that escaped. 

About an hour and several more drinks had passed.

“So,” Mingyu said, leaning forward. “I have something to confess to you. Something I’m sure you’ve been dying to know.” 

Wonwoo’s mouth was covered by the rim of his mug. “Hmm,” he hummed, raising his brows. 

“I realize,” Mingyu began, closing his eyes. Oh, he was quite drunk. “I realize I’ve been a complete weirdo. And annoying.” 

Wonwoo started snickering, putting his mug down. And then he laughed a little. 

“No, no I’m  _ serious _ ,” Mingyu insisted. He focused his intense (but spinning) gaze on Wonwoo, reaching forward to fiercely grasp the other’s wrist. “Listen. I’ve been so annoying to you, I bet. You must keep thinking, god. Why does this guy keep  _ bothering  _ me? I know, I know.” 

Wonwoo muffled some laughs. “Okay, sure.” 

“Well, that is because,” Mingyu said, pausing here for emphasis. “I’ve really wanted to become your friend.” 

“No shit,” Wonwoo giggled. 

Mingyu gasped. “So I  _ have  _ been annoying?” 

“Just tell me the rest of what you were gonna say.” 

“Not if you’re going to be mean about it.” 

“Sorry,” Wonwoo wheezed, holding back a laugh. He patted Mingyu’s hand, still clutching his wrist. “I’ll just listen. Go on.” 

Mingyu eyed him with uncertainty, but went on anyway. “When I first met you, and you said you’ve read  _ Kitchen  _ a few times. I thought about that, like, a lot. I thought, wow, I’ve never read a single book more than once. Why would anyone do that? I like, really thought about that.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And then you left your very nice bookmark at the cafe. The one from your brother. I felt really, like, bad y’know? How could a guy who loves reading so much keep reading if he lost his good bookmark? And it was so sad, because I obviously didn’t think I’d be able to return it to you.” 

“Uh-huh.”

“But then I ran into you! Getting noodles!” Mingyu exclaimed, squeezing Wonwoo’s wrist. “And then I thought, oh, wow. Wow. It must be fate, that I should run into you like that. You looked so happy to hear that I had your bookmark.”

“Yeah.”

“Then you came back to the cafe to get it, and I made you try the cream bread. I can’t believe you liked it so much that you posted it on your instagram. I liked it on accident, then I unliked it really fast.”

“You liked it on accident?”

“Yeah. Like I was stalking your posts or something. Which would have been weird.”

“It would’ve,” Wonwoo agreed. 

“Anyway, anyway. Then you liked my photo journal so much, which made me really happy. No one ever cares to look at my work, besides the photos themselves. You looked at my journal so deeply. But you didn’t really say anything, which was fine. You know why?”

“Why.” 

“Because I got a feeling. I got a feeling in that moment, that there were many things you wanted to say. But you didn’t. And I thought there must be more to you than you let show. I thought this was especially true after seeing you at the jazz club and taking you to my studio. You were so captivated by the dark room, and like...who even thinks that’s cool? No one thinks that’s cool. But, like, you thought it was super cool. And that made me happy.”

“Uh-huh.” 

“And finally, at my photo exhibit, you told me something about yourself. You finally told me something. And it was like, oh. Man, it was so good. Everything you said, I want to remember it for the rest of my life.” Mingyu slapped a hand to his forehead. “I can’t right now, because. Beer. But, it was so good. And so thoughtful. And I really felt like….this is it. I have been working hard to earn an ounce of your friendship so I can have an experience like that, to hear such personal thoughts of yours. Because I think you are like, a really secretive person. But your secrets are so won...wonderful. So valuable. I felt that, even if it’s hard work to become your friend, the work will pay off in the end because you will be, like, an amazing person to have as a friend. And you know what? Tonight like, really proved that. Yeah. That’s why I’ve been so annoying. To get to know you. I don’t really know anyone like you. And I’m so lured in by...by the pull of like, your energy. It’s so different. So good.” 

After what seemed to be the end of all of that, Mingyu huffed and shoved a dumpling into his mouth. “Did that make sense?” 

Wonwoo stared at the drunken Mingyu, who was now snickering at himself and chewing his food deliciously. He blinked. “I’m not sure,” he said, his voice small. 

It took Mingyu a few moments to register Wonwoo’s change in disposition. His eyes widened, as much as they drunkenly could, with concern. “Huh? Did I say something upsetting?”

Wonwoo did not know how to answer. That anxious feeling he had been getting in his gut had now spread throughout his entire body. He knew what it was now. Butterflies. Sick, twisted, pathetic butterflies. How could he seriously be feeling this right now? He wanted to vomit. 

“Wonwoo?” Mingyu said, urgently. “You look really pale. Are you okay? Say something.” 

“I’m fine,” Wonwoo answered quickly. His fingers twitched, and he swore he felt Mingyu’s grip soften, yet stay firm. Or maybe that was his stupid, gross imagination. “I think I just. Drank too quickly.” 

Mingyu didn’t seem convinced, but he relaxed anyway. He offered a small smile. “Okay. Maybe you should eat something?” 

Maybe if he shoved some stuff into his stomach, he could knock out those stupid butterflies. Or, he might actually just throw up. He decided he would take his chances. He slurped up a few mouthfuls of noodles, finally freeing his hand from Mingyu’s. That felt better just in itself. 

“Jeez, don’t give me any scares like that,” Mingyu said, seeing Wonwoo finally regain his composure. “Anyway. Bottom line...I wanna get to know you. I hope you feel similarly, but if not, that’s like, so okay.” 

Wonwoo said nothing, instead chewing on his mouth full of noodles for an excessively long time. He desperately wished there was anything else to look at besides Mingyu’s drunk, flustered smile and flushed cheeks. He just shrugged. 

“Well, if it’s not a no then I’ll take it,” Mingyu exclaimed, celebrating his win with another succession of impressive gulps of beer. Then his eyes widened, and he pointed a finger upwards as he came to an enlightenment. “The jazz club!” 

Wonwoo’s eyes darted around in confusion. “Yeah? What about it?” 

“You said you wanted to go back, right?” Mingyu asked. “That’s what we’ll do. We’ll go back for another show, and I’ll make it such a fun night that you won’t be able to resist the desire to be my friend. A-ha! I’ve got you with the cream bread and the photography, so I’ll get you with the jazz club, too.”

And there they were again. The butterflies. Wonwoo knew for sure this time that if he tried to eat them away, he’d throw up for real. Damn it. Seriously, damn it all. He had said that he wanted to go back, hadn’t he? And it wasn’t a lie. He truly did want to go back, and he had a feeling that Soonyoung wasn’t  _ totally  _ interested in going with him again. Mingyu would go without hesitation, and Wonwoo wouldn’t have to question if his company was enjoying themself or not. 

The butterflies rustled. Wonwoo tried hard not to wince. What did he do last time he felt like this towards someone? Well, it hadn’t ended too good. What could he do differently this time? With Mingyu so adamant on becoming his friend, Wonwoo had a feeling it would be hard to shake him off. He didn’t have the heart to totally ignore him, either. He was too nice. He was kind, and endearing. And so energized and interested in everything. He…

Wonwoo swallowed. Maybe, just maybe, these butterflies would go away on their own. That wasn’t too uncommon, right? Spending too much time with someone, or getting to know them too well, sometimes led to a stronger sense of dislike for that person. Maybe he’d discover some of Mingyu’s nasty habits and be totally repelled by him. Or maybe his cute, puppy-like energy would become unbearably annoying at some point. Or maybe even, by going out more, he’d meet someone else that he could transfer his feelings over to. 

It was worth a shot. 

“Yeah, I did say that,” Wonwoo said, grinning. “Why don’t we go back sometime soon? The weather is finally starting to warm up a bit. It’ll be nice.” 

Mingyu endearingly pulled his fist in a downward pump to signify success. And Wonwoo let one of his butterflies out with a small laugh. 


	4. Four Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo comes up with four things to guide him through his upcoming night with Mingyu.

Staring at the screen of his phone, Mingyu realized that he had been selfish.

“What do you mean,  _ no _ ?” he had asked at the pub. He was feeling quite boozed up, and the little consideration he normally put into his words was now gone. 

“I just...posting pictures like that, it’s not really my thing,” Wonwoo laughed nervously in response. 

“And why not?” Mingyu had retorted. He gestured at Wonwoo’s outfit. “You look so cool. And you have a beer in your hand, it looks sexy, and then delicious food in front of you, it looks like you’re having a good time.” 

“Oh, this is too much,” he said, waving his hand bashfully. “No no, instagram doesn’t need to see this.”

“I think it does,” Mingyu said. “Trust me. I’m a photographer. It’s what I do. If I had my camera with me I would have taken a million pictures by now. So c’mon.” He held out his hand and gestured for Wonwoo to hand his phone over. He ducked his head to let out a beer-tinged burp.

Wonwoo glared at him, amused but frustrated. Eventually, he dug his phone out of his pocket and dropped it into Mingyu’s hand with a groan. 

“Thank you,” Mingyu said curtly, clearing his throat. He positioned the phone professionally, directing Wonwoo to smile and make a V sign. 

Now, a few mornings later, Mingyu was still staring at his phone and wondering how he could have acted so selfishly. There it was, the photo, right at the top of Wonwoo’s instagram profile. His smile was cheeky and his eyes bright, partially due to the sheen of his glasses. His face was just the slightest hue of pink from the alcohol. Mingyu pursed his lips to keep from smiling too much. Someone had commented “boyfriend pic lololol” underneath the photo. Mingyu had to agree. 

_ Selfish _ , he thought to himself, locking his phone and putting it away.  _ Pure selfishness _ . 

Mingyu was embarrassed to admit the number of times he had went on instagram just to look at that photo. Even more embarrassing was the fact that it solidified one of his creeping doubts: he did, in fact, like Wonwoo. Like as in, have a crush on. Feel attracted to. 

When it had first occurred to him, he had to stop and think--and of course, quickly deny it.  _ No _ , he’d thought,  _ that wasn’t possible _ . 

But his thoughts on the matter changed with time. 

Of course, Mingyu identified the root of his interest with Wonwoo as the first conversation they exchanged at the cafe, as well as the adventure to return the beautiful bookmark. But, who was he kidding? Their first conversation, and even the few that followed, had been brief and fairly uneventful. In retrospect, he saw that quite clearly. So Mingyu looked at the situation from an objective point of view: if one person had little connection with another and they had a relationship based only on a few exchanges, then why would that person develop such a strong interest? The first answer that came to his mind was that, well, the person must find the other person attractive or desirable. He supposed he came to terms that he felt Wonwoo was both of those things. 

Even still, he was pursuing Wonwoo’s attention like a hound. He couldn’t help it. And why was it so easy? Maybe with the understanding that they were both guys, the pursuit wouldn’t seem forwardly romantic. To go after a girl this way would be obnoxious, impolite, and probably quite scary for the girl if she wasn’t interested. It would be immediately seen as a romantic pursuit. Did he feel like he could continue doing this, and get away with this, because his true intentions would never be identified or legitimized?

Mingyu may have had a good air of innocence about him, but he wasn’t stupid. These thoughts paraded through his brain on an hourly schedule. Not only was it exhausting, but it was also...scary. Was that the right word? Yes, it was most definitely scary. But it wasn’t  _ just  _ scary, he realized. He surprised himself by feeling excited as well. But, how could he not? It was a new, interesting discovery about himself. And to be honest, he didn’t feel all that bad about it. Did that mean there was something terribly wrong with him, then? 

He let out a tremendous sigh. He was asking himself these questions day in and day out, but he never got any closer to an answer.

At that moment while he was deep in thought, he heard his phone ringing. He scrambled to find where he had tossed it, picking it up and holding it to his ear. It was Minghao. 

“Hey, what’s up?” he asked. 

“Hey. Practice just ended, and I was wondering if you wanted me to stop and get anything for dinner on my way home,” came Minghao’s voice on the other end. 

“Oh, uh yeah actually that’d be great,” Mingyu replied. “Thanks. Just get me bibimbap and like, a juice or something. Soda, maybe.” 

“Got it,” Minghao chimed. “Also, my dance group is going to perform in Busan next month. I was wondering if you wanted to come, and we could like, make a weekend out of it?”

A weekend trip to Busan..! “Whoa, that sounds awesome!” Mingyu gasped. “I’m so down. I’ll have to bring some schoolwork, but whatever. Oh, man, that’s gonna be so much fun.” 

“Cool!” Minghao exclaimed. “Well, we can talk about more details when I get back. I’ll see you soon, then.” 

“Yep, see ya,” Mingyu said. He hung up and pushed himself out of bed before he could slip into another bout of deep thought. He pulled on some sweatpants and decided to go out for a run to clear his head. 

  
  
  


Wonwoo paced back and forth in his bedroom, holding out his fingers as counters. 

First.  _ It isn’t a date _ . He squeezed his pointer finger as he ingrained this into his mind. He paced towards his door. He turned around. 

Second.  _ Mingyu was his new friend. _ He clutched his middle finger.  _ Just  _ a new friend. He stepped around Cheebu, who was lounging on the floor.

Third.  _ He needed to be his honest self. _ If he acted up, or scrambled his words, things would get awkward. Mingyu would notice. He’d have to explain himself. 

Fourth.  _ Find things about Mingyu he didn’t like. _ He really gripped his pinky quite hard. This one was important. This would be the one to solidify the previous three. 

He stopped pacing in front of his mirror to glance over himself. He was dressed fine--a dress shirt with a blazer, and slacks. He would put on some shiny leather shoes to match. Nothing crazy, perfect for a low-key jazz club. Should he do something with his hair? He checked his watch. He didn’t have enough time. He should have left a few minutes ago. He bit his nail. 

Wordlessly, he slipped on his shoes and left. 

Still recovering from the long winter nights, the sun’s glow was only in the sky in trace amounts. By the time they got to the club, it’d be dark for sure. Wonwoo walked briskly down the street, strolling up to the cafe. He put his hand on the door, then paused. He took a breath.  _ Four things, _ he reminded himself. He pushed the door open. 

The delicious aroma of coffee and pastries made him slightly nauseous. He walked up to the counter, shyly averting the barista’s gaze. It was one of Mingyu’s coworkers--a petite girl who he recognized from a few times he’d been in. She greeted him with an upbeat voice. 

“Hi, I’m uh--I’m looking for Kim Mingyu,” Wonwoo said. He glanced up, swallowing his nausea.  _ Four things. Don’t be such a nervous freak _ .

“Oh, right! He mentioned someone would come by.” She smiled kindly at him. “He just finished up his shift a few minutes ago. He’ll be right out, I think.”

Wonwoo nodded at her, and stepped away from the counter. He hovered by the pastry case instead. His eyes glanced towards the cream bread more times than he wanted to admit. 

When Mingyu finally emerged from the back room, he turned heads. Wonwoo almost laughed out loud. Several customers looked up as he walked past, only to snap back towards their engagement once they realized what they were doing. He emerged with his trademark unreasonably happy grin, his hair combed back this time. His outfit was simple but classy: a white dress shirt, suspenders, gray slacks and loafers. A coat that matched his slacks was tossed over his shoulder, which he held onto with a stylishly bent arm. He waved at Wonwoo as he made his way over. 

Wonwoo waved back. 

“What a great outfit!” Mingyu commented, gesturing at Wonwoo’s ensemble. “Way to show me up.”

Wonwoo jerked his head back, shocked. “What are you talking about? You look good, too. The suspenders are nice.”

“You think so?” Mingyu asked, leading the way out of the cafe. He waved goodbye to his co-worker. “I’ve only worn them a couple of times before. I’m not totally sure how to pull them off.”  

“Just like you are now dude,” Wonwoo said assuringly. “It’s a perfect look for a jazz scene.”

“Well, cool. Thanks,” Mingyu said, sounding legitimately relieved. He pulled his coat on, loosely enough to make sure the suspenders could still be seen. 

They decided to take a cab to the club. Mingyu, who knew the walking routes of the area better, said it’d probably take about 30 minutes to get there on foot. That’s when the show was scheduled to start. A cab, Wonwoo thought, would also lessen the time they had to chat with each other on the way. He wasn’t sure if he was happy about that or not. Four things, he reminded himself. 

The club seemed to be buzzing with a bit more energy than it was last time. The slowly-warming weather was drawing more and more people out of their homes, and into the streets for some fun. There was also the added factor that none of the bands tonight were comprised of students. It probably helped draw a bigger crowd that way. They made their way inside after waiting for only a few minutes, embraced once again by the musky but sophisticated atmosphere. The hearty drum of a bass being plucked somewhere backstage added to the hum of quiet chatter spreading from table to table. They began to look for a seat.

Mingyu couldn’t help but stare. Wonwoo looked quite impressive in the low, almost sleazy lighting. The deep red of his shirt was an especially flattering color on him. The fact that it appeared to be made of a silk-type material added a certain gloss to it, which was even more striking. It was loosely (but neatly) tucked into tight-fitted black pants that accentuated his long and slender legs. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, and his shirt unbuttoned enough to show glimpses of defined collarbones. 

“Hm? Does something look off?” Wonwoo asked, noticing the way Mingyu was staring at him with concerningly wide eyes. He looked down to check the state of his outfit, but saw nothing amiss. 

“No,” Mingyu replied, unmoving. “You look great.” 

“Oh,” Wonwoo said. He paused. “Thanks.” 

Wonwoo awkwardly took a seat, and Mingyu snatched up the menu as if nothing was awkward at all. Well, nothing really  _ was _ , he supposed. He was just being honest. But maybe he could have toned down the staring. 

In his passive nature, Wonwoo let Mingyu pick the dishes for the night. With the caveat that there was no seafood, of course. To his surprise, however, Mingyu spent a long time looking over the menu quite meticulously. 

“What’s wrong?” Wonwoo asked, peering over. “Can’t find anything you like?” 

“I’m trying to think of what would make the best flavor pairings,” he murmured in response, not even looking up from the menu. 

Flavor pairings? Wonwoo blinked, taken aback. He didn’t know a damn thing about flavor pairings. He could only assume that Mingyu didn’t either, especially after going to the pub with him and seeing him chow down on dish after dish of comfort food. “Wait, are you serious? I can’t tell if you’re joking.” 

Finally, Mingyu glanced up. “Huh? I’m totally serious,” he said. “I remember you like a bold and earthy drink, but a more subtle sweetness in your dessert--right? And no seafood. I think I can figure out a good arrangement that’ll suit your tastes--I’m thinking a full-bodied wine and some simple dishes to help draw out the flavor. How about it?”

Just as Mingyu finished up, a waitress came up to their table and asked if they wanted to place an order. Wonwoo stared, his mouth slightly agape. He, uh, yeah...he guessed that was right, from what he usually ordered at the cafe. And it held true for things other than coffee and bread, too. He was, for lack of a better word,  _ shook  _ as Mingyu listed out his order. He ordered a salad, some French-sounding thing, a pilaf, a beef dish, and finally a bottle of wine. He happily handed the menu to the waitress, and she was off. 

“...So are you like, a gastronomy expert or something?” Wonwoo asked once they were alone again. 

“Pfft, no, nothing like that,” Mingyu said modestly. “I just like to cook and play with flavors. I mean, I also love to eat of course. I looove to eat. So I really appreciate the good experience that food can bring.” 

Wonwoo nodded slowly after a while, still a bit shocked. Yet another interesting fact about Mingyu, he supposed. He remembered his  _ fourth thing _ . Find things about Mingyu he didn’t like. Did this fit into that category? Definitely not, and he knew better than to try and convince himself otherwise. He was very excited to see and taste the dinner that Mingyu had put together for him. A bit disappointed, Wonwoo concluded that this was a new fact that he quite liked. He held in his sigh. 

“Well,” Wonwoo said, plucking his napkin off the table and spreading it on his lap. “I’m anticipating this meal, then.” 

Mingyu followed suit with his napkin, and wasted no time in asking Wonwoo about his week. When Wonwoo’s initial response was _ it was good _ , Mingyu burst into a laugh and demanded more information.

Did anything special happen this week?

No, not really. 

Did anything bad happen?

Not really. 

Did you try anything new?

New? No, same-old same-old. 

Did you hang out with anyone?

Yes, I got dinner with my friend. 

What did you eat?

BBQ. 

Who’s your friend? 

He’s my best friend. 

Tell me about him. 

Wow, you really are relentless, aren’t you?

Yes. Now, tell me about your best friend. 

His name is Soonyoung. We’ve been friends since high school, and we went to university together too. He’s basically insane. But also extremely lovable. He’s a full-time instructor at a dance studio not too far from here. We used to do everything together, but now work has us a bit constrained. But he doesn’t care. He does everything he can to try and maintain our friendship. 

Finally, Mingyu smiled. 

“Are you satisfied now?” Wonwoo asked with fake exhaustion.

Mingyu’s smile lingered. “Not even close.” He drank a sip of water. “Nice try, though.” 

Before he could ask another question, a waiter came around to their table with a bottle of wine and two chilled glasses. He began to pour the thick red liquid, and Mingyu got a whiff of its strong and intoxicating scent. The waiter left the bottle at their table and strolled away.

They reached for their glasses at the same time. Mingyu looked around the room. At the table next to theirs sat a man and a woman. A table over, there was a group of people. A man and a woman. A man and a woman. Two women--but one had a ring on her finger, and the other did not. Just friends, hanging out. Then another couple. Another group. Another couple. 

He suddenly felt a bit itchy.

“So, what kind of wine is this?” Wonwoo asked, snapping Mingyu out of his trance. He was holding his glass of wine near his nose, swirling it and trying to identify its smells. 

“It’s a cabernet sauvignon,” Mingyu replied, turning the bottle so that Wonwoo could read the label. “They’re known for being very bold and oaky. This one has strong berry notes, supposedly.”

“Sounds fancy,” Wonwoo remarked, still swishing his glass around. To be honest, he didn’t really know what that was supposed to mean. He was hoping that Mingyu would take the first sip so he wouldn’t mess up somehow and look like an idiot.

Luckily, his wish was granted. He watched Mingyu sip some quite loudly, and swish it around his mouth a bit before swallowing. The resulting expression on his face seemed to be one of pleasant surprise. 

“Good?” Wonwoo asked. 

“Wow. Yeah, it’s definitely bold all right.” Mingyu set his glass down and licked his lips. “Good, though. Really good.” 

Wonwoo raised his glass, preparing to take a sip, when Mingyu shyly stopped him. 

“Here--hold the glass by the stem, not by the bowl,” Mingyu said, reaching forward and tapping his glass to indicate where he should hold it. “That way, the warmth of your fingers doesn’t raise the temperature of the wine and change its flavor.” 

“Oh,” Wonwoo said. He promptly did as he was told. “I didn’t know that.”

Mingyu shrugged. “No worries. Not a big wine drinker?”

“Well, I just--” Wonwoo began. But then he stopped. Third thing: he needed to be himself. He offered a small smile. “No, not really.” 

Grinning, Mingyu picked up his own glass. “Well, you should stir it like you were doing--they always show that in movies and stuff.”

“Yeah, that’s why I was doing it haha.”

“Good, see you already got one part right,” Mingyu went on, laughing. “Okay, so when you drink it, you gotta slurp it basically. Like noodles.”

Wonwoo blinked. “That doesn’t seem very classy.”

“It doesn’t, does it?” Mingyu agreed. “But you’ve got to. It’s to aerate the wine before it hits your palate. It helps unlock those flavors that have been bottled up for so long.”

“Okay. I guess that makes sense. I also saw you swish it around like mouthwash before actually swallowing it.”

“Yeah. That’s to make sure it hits every taste bud on your tongue. A wine is always complex, so there’s sweetness, bitterness, and even savory flavors sometimes. And your tongue has different flavor receptors in different areas, so you have to really spread the wine around.” 

Mingyu found himself watching Wonwoo’s mouth, thinking about his tongue swirling the sweet liquid around his mouth. Hm. Interesting. But also, not appropriate. He fixed his gaze back on Wonwoo’s eyes. 

“Well...here goes nothing, I guess,” Wonwoo said, re-adjusting his glass of wine. He tipped it back, taking a loud sip just like Mingyu had. He froze for a moment, with his mouth full of wine, before awkwardly swishing it around his mouth and swallowing. He stared straight ahead at Mingyu, saying nothing. 

“...Well?” Mingyu finally asked, laughing. “How is it?”

“I don’t think I did that right.”

“I’m not gonna judge your technique,” Mingyu said, rolling his eyes. “Really. How was the wine?”

Wonwoo looked at his glass. “Good..? I mean. It tastes like wine. I don’t know. I don’t really have anything to compare it to.” 

Mingyu hummed in understanding. He tapped his temple, indicating his brain. “Noted,” was all he said. He took another sip. 

As their food came, Wonwoo was finally able to relax. It was a combination of the wine warming him from inside, the jazz enveloping him in smooth, brassy sounds, and Mingyu softly rambling on about the different dishes placed before them. It was different from Soonyoung’s rambling, which often went on about dramatic stories that he liked to exaggerate out of proportion. Mingyu talked honestly about the food, what he liked about it, and why he chose it. And he sprinkled questions into his ramblings to see to it that Wonwoo stayed engaged. 

“So far, I think this dish is my favorite,” Wonwoo said, pointing his fork at the beef. “I don’t know if this is right, but I think it goes well with the wine, too.”

“That’s all based on personal taste,” Mingyu assured him. “If it pairs well to you, then it pairs well. Simple as that.”

Wonwoo noticed how Mingyu swayed subtly to the music as he ate. Even with something as simple as bobbing his head as he chewed, he was enjoying both at once. Wonwoo was too zoned in on making sure he was doing everything  _ right  _ and forgetting to enjoy his damn night.  _ Thing number four _ , he reminded himself. He really had to loosen up. 

As if on queue, Mingyu’s eyes lit up and he pointed his finger in the air. “I love this song!” he exclaimed in a sort of whisper-shout. He swallowed the food that was still in his mouth, putting his fork down and opting for his glass of wine instead. 

_ I fall in love, too easily,  _ he mouthed, closing his eyes as if he was the one singing on stage.  _ I fall in love, too fast _ ...

The song was distantly familiar. With the English lyrics, Wonwoo couldn’t decipher much. Fall in love, fast, heart. But Mingyu seemed to know every word. Wonwoo split this song between watching the band play, regarding the food in front of him, and admiring how Mingyu so carelessly danced and sang along to the song. He seemed to be the only one, too. 

“Ah,” Mingyu sighed with satisfaction when the song came to a close. He clapped, along with everyone else, but seemed to be the only one offering genuine applause. “Chet Baker,” he said to Wonwoo, who he could tell was clearly curious. 

“I see.” Wonwoo pushed some salad leaves around his plate. “Jazz, wine, photography, coffee...what other things do you have to show off?”

Mingyu seemed to shrink, turning red. “It’s nothing like that,” he said bashfully. “You’re just trying to exaggerate it all. I’m no professional, at any of those things. And you’ve hardly said a thing about your own passions.” 

A lump appeared in Wonwoo’s throat.

“That’s because there’s nothing to say,” he murmured. 

Mingyu immediately gave him a look of suspicion. He didn’t know Wonwoo intimately yet. But he’d seen this pattern of behavior enough now to recognize it. “Well that’s just not true,” he argued.

At that moment, Wonwoo recalled the night that they’d gone out to the bar, and Mingyu’s long-winded lament about why he wanted to become his friend. That had been...panic-inducing, to say the least. He could not afford another repeat of that. Talking about himself was bad enough, but having Mingyu spill his guts about all the small things he’d noticed or picked up on was even worse. Way worse. 

He swallowed the lump in his throat. Under the table, he began cracking his knuckles nervously. His eyes drifted off to the side, landing on the salad bowl and letting his vision fuzz out. “Well, I guess I’m pretty good at my job.”

“Great!” Mingyu said, taking initiative immediately. “What do you do?”

“I work in the communications department of my company. Well, I work specifically with IT communications. So I help manage IT operations within the company, and sort of like, bridge the gap between tech and communication. It’s a lot of emails, meetings, professional development, trainings, and stuff like that.” 

“Sounds important,” Mingyu commented. Wonwoo just shrugged. “I know I could never do anything like that. Do you like doing it?”

Wonwoo was out of knuckles to crack. But he kept fidgeting with his fingers under the table anyway. 

“It pays well, and it’s not too stressful, so it’s alright.” 

“But do you  _ like _ it.”

“I just told you, it’s al--” 

Wonwoo cut himself off when he noticed Mingyu’s increasingly disheartened expression. He wasn’t answering the question that Mingyu was really asking; he knew that. 

“...I’ll put it this way,” he went on, his tone softening. “It’s not what I would have pictured myself doing five years ago.”

Sensing he was in a taboo territory, Mingyu proceeded with caution. “Okay. Why not?”

“Because I had silly dreams,” Wonwoo said. “I wanted to be a musician, or a writer, or even a game designer. Stupid shit like that. Nothing practical, just crazy, lofty dreams.”

He told Mingyu about his endeavors in high school and for a short time in university, even. He bought a guitar, which he played and sung along to alone in his room. But he hadn’t been all that good. And nothing he had ever written was as good as the stuff he read in books. Not even close. He’d chucked his journals into the dumpster after giving up on that dream. As for games, well, that was just totally stupid in itself. Games were a hobby, a thing to do on lazy Sundays, not anything to make a career out of. It wasn’t until halfway through university that he realized he needed to focus on something more practical. Since he was good at reading and writing, he decided that communications would be his best bet. Totally applicable for a wide variety of jobs. So, here he was. Using his degree in a job that allowed him to be more than stable. No complaints.

Mingyu listened intently the whole time. He didn’t say a word as Wonwoo went on, only nodding his head and slowly working away at his food. It wasn’t until Wonwoo fell silent, and remained silent, for a few moments that he dared to speak. 

“Your friend, Soonyoung...you said you went to university together, right?” he asked. Wonwoo nodded. “And he’s a full-time dance instructor, you said?”

“Yeah. But that’s different. He’s loved dancing forever, and he’s actually good at it. So when he got a degree in dance, it just made sense that he found a job right away.” 

“I’m sure you would have found something, with music. Or writing, or games.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Wonwoo muttered. 

Mingyu blinked. “Do...do you think my degree is useless, too?”

Wonwoo’s head snapped up, his eyes wide. “No. What? No, not at all,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re really talented, too, just like Soonyoung. You’re going to find a job just like he did. No, I didn’t mean to imply that you’re pursuing something useless. I’m sorry. I admire you both, really. I swear. It’s incredible, the work that you guys do.” 

Mingyu’s head was slightly fuzzy, and this conversation was causing a swell of emotions within him. He picked up the bottle of wine, only to find it empty. Their food was just about gone, too. “I...I wish you would show me something you’ve written. Or sing a song for me.” 

“Well, too bad.” Wonwoo’s voice was tinged with sadness. Or was that just the wine? “I don’t have anything for you.” 

Mingyu’s eyes flickered between Wonwoo and the table between them. “You wanna ditch this place?”

“And go where?”

“A walk, maybe. The river’s not too far from here.” 

“Sure.” 

They split the bill in half, and crept out of the club while the musicians were still playing and the audience still chatting. It was dark out, but not pitch-black. The smell of cigarettes and wine still clung to them as they began to walk, but a delicate cologne also mingled with the air. They said nothing until they reached the river, and Wonwoo commented on the reflection of the lights. 

“It’s nice, isn’t it,” Mingyu remarked.

“Yeah. It’s also really quiet here,” Wonwoo noted. As if on queue, they heard the soft sound of the water, gently slapping against its concrete shores. There were no honking cars, no bikes ringing their bells. The hum of a busy street somewhere in the distance hung over them. 

Loose asphalt crunched under their feet as they made their way along the river. They went at a slow pace. They spotted a bench on the grassy bank that would offer a nice view, and they decided to sit. 

“Sorry I’m so stubborn, and bland,” Wonwoo said. He was still gazing out at the water. 

Mingyu turned to him. “Huh? You’re definitely not.”

“Hm.”

“Can I say something?”

“Sure.”

“I think you’re very interesting, and complex,” Mingyu said. “But you just keep it all inside. And you’re tough to crack, even for yourself.” 

There was silence for a while.

“I suppose that could be true,” Wonwoo breathed. He fidgeted with his hands again. 

Mingyu followed his gaze out to the water. In their line of sight, a couple was walking by, their arms linked at the elbow. They stood at the railing for a bit, and their laughter and giggles could be heard. Not long after they passed by, another couple came from the other direction. They threw a glance at Mingyu and Wonwoo, before talking between themselves and continuing on their way. When the third couple passed by, Wonwoo had to say something. 

“Is this, like--”

“A lover's’ lane?” Mingyu finished for him. “Y’know, I was starting to think the same thing.”

“Maybe we should go, then,” Wonwoo suggested. 

“Maybe we should,” Mingyu echoed. 

Neither of them stood for a few moments. 

The four things that Wonwoo had told himself at the beginning of the night were fading miserably away. Especially the fourth thing.

Finally, Mingyu stretched his legs and got up. Wonwoo followed suit. They made their way to a busier street, where they waited once again to hail a cab for Wonwoo to get home. Mingyu said he’d walk, as his apartment wasn’t too far. After the cab drove off, Mingyu hummed another Chet Baker song to himself as he made his way home.  _ Lover’s lane, _ he recalled, flipping the phrase over in his mind. He’d forgotten the term that people used for that patch of the riverside. He’d been remembering it simply as  _ a place where couples go _ this whole time. 


	5. Split in Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu goes to Busan with Minghao to support his dance group. Wonwoo also takes a vacation.

“Is this even the right way?!” Minghao cried as he trotted down the walkway, his bags jostling in his arms. 

“I mean, I think so?!” Mingyu replied, also panicked. “I don’t know--the last time I took KTX to Busan, I was like, six years old!” 

“Oh man,” Minghao muttered, pulling his wrist up to check his watch. “Oh my god, we gotta find this train!” 

They continued on their way, bolting as fast as they could with their luggage. Finally, Mingyu pointed to a sign. 

“For Busan!” he exclaimed. “We just take that escalator down to the platform.” 

“Thank god,” Minghao muttered, groaning as he scrambled after Mingyu. 

They arrived at the platform, hurried to find their train car, and stepped inside. They let out huge sighs of relief as they found their seats. Minghao threw his bags on the seats, closing his eyes and putting a hand to his forehead. 

“Heh, well, we made it,” Mingyu commented sheepishly. He took Minghao’s bags and placed them in the overhead storage, and then did the same with his own. 

“I never want to be that disorganized ever again,” Minghao declared, shaking his head. With an exasperated huff, he dropped into his seat and folded his arms. “What a nightmare.” 

“Well, we learned a lesson, right?” Mingyu prompted, hopeful to get his roommate out of his temper. “The bus frequency is reduced... _ heavily _ reduced on weekends.” 

Minghao looked at him, and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yes, we learned that.” He murmured to himself in Chinese before pulling out his headphones, closing his eyes and laying back in his seat. 

Mingyu chuckled, too. They barely made the train. Only a few minutes after they sat, the train announced departure and began to move. 

While the two of them took time to catch up on sleep  during the first hour or so of the train ride, they both came to terms with the fact that they did still have school work. Headphones in, they both scattered papers and journals around their laps and the trays in front of them. They shared pens, pencils, markers and rulers, working collaboratively in almost complete science. Their focused school work was frequently interrupted by their staring out the window. It was hard for the pair--a photographer and an Chinese native who hadn’t seen much of Korea--to not watch the scenery pass by. Even if it was mundane farmland, they both felt compelled to gaze. 

“It’ll be your first time out of Seoul, huh?” Mingyu asked. 

Still looking out the window, Minghao nodded. “Pretty much, yeah.” They were passing through a suburban area that was fringed with low, green hills. The sun, which had just risen, was offering bright yellow rays to the landscape.

“Where should we eat for lunch?” was Mingyu’s next question. 

Minghao turned away from the window to give his friend a look. “How should I know?” he retorted. “It’s also eight in the morning, Mingyu.”

“Hmm. It’s gotta be seafood,” Mingyu responded, unphased. “Some good seafood pasta sounds amazing.” 

Minghao stared at his friend in disbelief. Unable to fathom his mental process, he simply shook his head and attempted to get back to work. 

Meanwhile, as Mingyu was pondering his cravings, he felt his phone buzz. Who could be contacting him so early on a Saturday? 

Oh, Jeon Wonwoo of course. To be totally honest, he didn’t get many texts from people other than his roommates, his parents, and a small handful of classmates. But he and Wonwoo had been texting quite consistently since they’d last hung out--nearly three weeks ago now. Mingyu loved it. He opened his messages right away to read the text he’d been sent, and immediately worked on a reply. It was usual for Mingyu to respond within a few minutes, while Wonwoo sometimes took the whole day to get back to him. But that was okay. Wonwoo was a busy guy. 

_ Catching a train? This early?? _ the text read. Mingyu promptly responded with a reminder that this weekend was the vacation that he’d mentioned a few days ago. A few minutes later, another text came, that really surprised Mingyu. Wonwoo replied, saying that he was also going to catch a train in a couple of hours to head out of town for a vacation. 

“Hey, Minghao,” he nudged, his voice practically a whisper. 

“Hmm.” 

“Do you have a crush on anyone right now?”

Minghao looked at him, then back at his work. “Who is it?”

“Huh?” Mingyu asked.

“The person you have a crush on,” Minghao went on, “who is it?”

“What...I asked  _ you _ , about your crush!” Mingyu reminded him. 

“Clearly, if you’re randomly asking me about something like a crush, that means it’s on your mind. You’re thinking about it, and trying to get it across to me without being so direct.” Minghao scribbled something on his work, not even looking up. “So, spit it out. What’s on your mind?” 

Baffled, Mingyu scratched his ear. “Uh, okay, well I guess you’ve got me there. I mean, I have a crush on someone that I don’t think I’m supposed to.” 

“What do you mean?”

“Like, there’s X, Y, Z factors that make it basically impossible for us to actually get together,” Mingyu explained. 

“Oh, like she’s not allowed to date or something?” Minghao offered, trying to better understand for himself. “Or she’s far away, in another country?”

“Yeah, sort of like that,” Mingyu nodded. “Neither of those things, but a similar problem.” 

“Mmm. Tough. Well, I think you need to account for the sacrifices you’d be willing to make.” Minghao finally turned to Mingyu, giving him his full attention. “For example. If she’s far away, would you go to her? Or text her and webchat daily? And send packages? Or is she not worth that much effort?” 

Mingyu poked his tongue around his cheeks. “I don’t really know,” he admitted. “I don’t even know if my feelings are returned.” 

Minghao hummed, nodding in understanding. “Maybe that’s what you ought to do first, then. See if it’s even a possibility. From there, you can think about the next thing.” 

So practical, Mingyu thought. His friend was so wise. _ But it’s so different _ , he wanted to add on. _ It’s that I’m really not allowed to like him. He might never speak to me again if he found out. My parents might disown me. I could be kicked out of school _ . 

“Okay,” was all he ended up saying. “I’ll think about that. Thanks, Hao.” 

His friend hummed again, delving back into his work. Mingyu pulled out his headphones and decided to think a few things over. 

  
  
  


Finally, a break. 

Wonwoo sighed with content as he stepped out into the sunshine. Immediately, a cool salty breeze graced his cheeks, and he inhaled deeply to take in the scent of the sea. How nostalgic, he thought. Busan was not his hometown, but it was quite close. The ocean and sun were enough resemblance for him. His hometown was something he absolutely did not want to dwell on during this trip. 

Soonyoung’s cheerful stretch as they left the train station was enough to pull him out of his trance. He trotted in a quick circle, confusing his rolling suitcase behind him and sending it clattering on its wheels at odd angles. 

“Whoo! It feels like sun and sand, doesn’t it?” he sang. He shook his head in the breeze, as if he were trying to coat his face in it. “When’s the last time you were down here?”

“It’s been a few years,” Wonwoo replied, smiling at his friend’s energy. “It does feel nice though, the breeze.” 

“Mmhm. Well, there’s a bunch of taxis over there,” Soonyoung said, nodding in the direction of a busy curb. “Let me pull up the hotel’s address and we’ll get our stuff over.” 

They tossed their duffels into the trunk of a taxi and were on their way. A somewhat familiar scene of tall buildings, glittering in the morning sunshine, passed as they rolled through the streets. Wonwoo kept his thoughts to himself, although he felt a knot of anxiety in his gut. This was going to be a fun weekend with his best friend. A weekend to go out and eat, stay out late by the water, and watch a dance performance. Old memories could not haunt him here. He wouldn’t let them. 

The hotel that Soonyoung’s dance team had chosen to book was quite a nice one. In the lobby, tiled floors and a large chandelier greeted them. Lodgers were sitting in large leather chairs set up by a fountain, waiting on their cars to be fetched from valet. They checked themselves in and went up to their room, tossing their things onto the bed. The room was just as nice as the rest of the place, with a plush carpet muffling the sound of their footsteps underneath. Soonyoung instinctively went to the balcony to open up the curtains, eager to see what their view was. 

“Oh,” was all he said, his shoulders deflating. 

Wonwoo wandered over. Their view was not of the beautiful Busan seaside, but rather the face of the building across the street from them. A few stories down, an uneventful street lay with an occasional car driving past. 

Wonwoo snickered. “No wonder you guys got the rooms at such a good price,” he remarked. “For as fancy as this place is.”

Soonyoung pouted. “I guess we should’ve seen that coming,” he mumbled. “Well, it’s not like we’re gonna be in here all day anyway...right?”

Wonwoo looked over to see his friend eyeing him with a critical glare. “No--of course not!” Wonwoo snapped. “That was me like, four years ago. C’mon man, you know I stopped being such a shut-in.”

Soonyoung gave a firm, sharp nod. “Good. Just making sure.” 

They got out their wallets and hats and headed back down almost as soon as they had come up. They were in the elevator when Wonwoo’s phone buzzed. He figured he knew who it was--not many people ever texted him. If it wasn’t Soonyoung, well, that only left one other option. 

After the last time they’d hung out, neither had been able to find the time to meet up again. Wonwoo had taken on some new responsibilities at work, and was now in charge of training a newly-onboarded employee. Mingyu was nearing the end of the semester, and was busy with projects and buffing up his portfolio. They had said hi once, briefly, when Wonwoo stopped in for a coffee one Saturday morning. But he’d been on his way to the office to get some overtime work done. Other than that, they had just been communicating through text. Communicating quite a bit, too. 

Wonwoo pulled out his phone to discover his suspicion to be correct. He opened a message from Mingyu, who was replying to something Wonwoo had sent much earlier in the morning, as he had been packing for the trip. He shot a quick reply, and slipped his phone back into his pocket. What a coincidence, he thought. It looked like Mingyu was also taking a vacation somewhere this weekend. 

It was oddly reassuring, Wonwoo noted, that they would be very far apart from each other this weekend. With both of them out of Seoul, Wonwoo felt like he could totally and completely get his mind off Mingyu. There would be nothing to see that spawned a memory of him, or even a thought. He could go grab a coffee at a cafe and not worry about seeing Mingyu’s face at the counter. And there was no chance for them to randomly run into each other, as had happened twice already. The weekend had strong potential to put his nerves at ease. 

For an early lunch, Wonwoo and Soonyoung found themselves inside a small noodle house down an alley. After ordering, as they sat waiting for their food, Soonyoung slung an arm around his friend’s shoulder. 

“Whew--! It’s been a while since we’ve hung out, huh?” he remarked. 

“Yeah, actually,” Wonwoo agreed, “a couple of weeks.”

Soonyoung sighed, letting his arm fall. “We sure became adults, didn’t we? Having to schedule time to see each other in advance, and whatnot.” 

“Mm. Who would’ve thought?”

“I always get a kick out of seeing you in a suit,” Soonyoung said slyly, giggling. 

“Oh, shut up--” 

“No, it’s not a bad thing!” Soonyoung insisted. “I’m not making fun! You look so professional. I just...couldn’t have pictured it, a few years ago, y’know? I get a kick cause you look so spiff. So handsome.” 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, but was grinning ear-to-ear. He gave his friend a shove. 

“You’re the professional here.” He handed Soonyoung a napkin as a waiter came forward with their bowls. “I mean, look what we’re doing right now. Your dance team is out here doing a sponsored performance...now  _ that’s  _ professionalism.” 

“Let’s not compare ourselves,” Soonyoung said, though he was clearly bashful from Wonwoo’s comments. “We’re both awesome. Check out these noodles, though.” 

“Yeah, I’m pumped,” Wonwoo chimed in, giving his bowl a good stir with his chopsticks. He knew that conversation wouldn’t have lead anywhere good, anyway. He had a feeling that Soonyoung sensed it, too.

After they finished eating, they went out to explore some more of the city. They had a few hours to spend together until Soonyoung had to be at the performance venue to lead a rehearsal. They walked down a few shopping streets, ducked into a cafe for some refreshers, and eventually found themselves lounging around a scenic plaza somewhere downtown. They had been chatting there for quite some time when it occurred to Soonyoung that he’d lost track of time. He pulled out his phone, and let out a quick sigh of relief. 

“Rehearsal is scheduled to start in about 30 minutes,” he noted. He stood, giving his legs a stretch. “I should probably find a taxi and get over there pretty soon. You gonna be alright for a few hours?”

“Yeah, of course,” Wonwoo said, also standing. “There was a bookstore that we passed a while ago that I wanna go check out. When are we meeting up for dinner again?” 

“Group dinner is at 7!” came Soonyoung’s cheerful reminder. “I’ll text you the location beforehand.” 

“Sounds good. Well, see you later,” Wonwoo said with a wave. “Hope rehearsal goes well.” 

Soonyoung winked charismatically. “Oh, it will. See ya!” 

He went in one direction, towards the nearest street to try and find a taxi. Wonwoo turned and slowly walked in the other direction, back towards the bookstore he had mentioned. An easy way to spend a few hours until it was time for dinner. 

  
  
  


Wonwoo managed to make a quick stop at the hotel room to drop off the book he’d bought before heading out to dinner. He brushed his hair and pulled on a jacket, too. The restaurant they were going too was conveniently close to the hotel, probably to make it easy for all the group members to get to. He didn’t think he’d need a jacket, but it couldn’t hurt to throw one on just in case. After making sure he was presentable, he headed out the door and to the restaurant.

He found the place first by its smell, and then its large sign out front. It smelled heavenly, but it also smelled overwhelmingly of seafood. _ Of course,  _ he reminded himself,  _ it  _ was  _ Busan, after all.  _ He saw a large group of people through the windows, and spotted Soonyoung among them. His gaping mouth was wide open in a huge laugh. Wonwoo rolled his eyes with a smirk and headed in. 

A bit shy to say hi to everyone, he quickly made his way over to Soonyoung who had saved a seat for him. As soon as he noticed, Soonyoung was all over his friend and handed him a plate. He shot a bunch of questions at him: how was the rest of your afternoon? Did you go to the store? Did you get a book? Did you do anything else? Did you get sunburnt? Are you hungry? 

“Yes, yes yes,” Wonwoo laughed, shushing him. “Can you calm down and let me eat something? Jesus, man.”

“I just missed you, that’s all,” Soonyoung huffed, giving him a stink eye. 

Wonwoo hadn’t been seated for more than a minute when he met eyes with someone who was staring directly at him. Familiar, warm brown eyes. Wide with shock. Wonwoo stared back. 

It was Mingyu. 

Sitting next to him was the fluffy-haired boy he’d seen with Mingyu at the jazz club all those nights ago. He must be Mingyu’s roommate--and on Soonyoung’s dance team as well. It all suddenly made sense. What a coincidence it had been, that Mingyu was also taking a vacation this weekend to see a dance performance. He’d just left out the detail that it was in Busan. Saying nothing, Wonwoo reached for his glass and took several large, nervous gulps. 

Mingyu smiled at him. 

Wonwoo blinked, put his cup down, and looked at the table. 

As more dance members began to arrive, the atmosphere steadily increased in volume and energy. Food came to the table in giant, steaming portions. The fresh seafood plates looked and smelled amazing, but Wonwoo knew better than to have too much of it. He settled for the other plates that came to their table, totally satisfied to fill himself on the other delicious items. All the while, Wonwoo felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. Dammit. He took a shot of soju with Soonyoung, and then promptly excused himself to go to the bathroom. 

He stood in front of the mirror for a moment, staring into his own anxious eyes. He unbuttoned his shirt a bit more, and put his cold hands to his neck. It was warm. A combination of the fine weather, the hot food, and the alcohol. Oh, and of course, his increased heartbeat. 

A couple of minutes had passed, when Wonwoo saw the door behind him opening in the mirror’s reflection. Mingyu’s head poked in, with his big eyes, like a curious puppy. 

“Wonwoo?” he said, the grin appearing immediately. “That’s really you, isn’t it?” 

Hands still on his neck, Wonwoo didn’t move. He just stared at Mingyu through his reflection in the mirror. Now was his chance to lock himself in one of the stalls and pretend he had no idea what Mingyu was talking about. Instead, he just stood there. 

“I really can’t believe--oh, wait,” Mingyu began, entering the bathroom. But he stopped himself and started to back out. “I’ll wait ‘til you’re done, haha. Sorry.” 

The door closed and Wonwoo was left in silence again. Well, he could hear the clamour of the dance team and the other customers enjoying their food. He could also, somehow, hear Mingyu shuffling his feet and twiddling his thumbs just outside the door. Shaking his bangs out of his eyes. 

Wonwoo slid his hands from his neck--there was no point in avoiding this any longer. When he stepped out of the bathroom, Mingyu was standing in the corridor, leaning against the wall and biting his nail. His hand dropped once he saw Wonwoo, and he straightened up. 

“...Is that your roommate?” Wonwoo asked abruptly. 

Mingyu nodded. “And that must be your best friend, right?” Wonwoo nodded also. “Wow, small world.” 

“Sure is.”

Mingyu smiled. “Well, can I meet him?”

Wonwoo stared up at him. “Why?”

As soon as it left his mouth, Wonwoo knew it had a bite to it. Mingyu looked startled, and Wonwoo closed his eyes. 

“I-I mean, I just--” Mingyu began. 

“I’m so sorry,” Wonwoo said immediately, putting a hand to his forehead. “I’m just so shocked to see you here. Of course you can meet him. If your roommate is in his dance team, then you guys ought to meet anyway. Jeez, sorry for the attitude.”

Like always, Mingyu was quick to soften back up. “It’s okay. It  _ is  _ really weird, that we’re both here. But maybe it’s a good thing, because, well, er…” 

Wonwoo’s stomach leaped up to his throat. “Because what?”

“Well, have you noticed how tight-knit they all are?” he began. “They’re really fun and all, but they’re all talking about stuff that I can’t join in on. It’s a little bit awkward, just sitting there and listening to them crack jokes with each other.”

“Oh,” Wonwoo said. He tried to push his stomach back down. His voice was small as he went on. “Yeah, I felt that, too. Well, we can sit next to each other, maybe?”

“Why don’t we just let them do their thing?”

“What...do you mean?”

“We should go somewhere else,” Mingyu said straightforwardly. “Besides, they’re all eating seafood. I saw you trying to fill up on just the appetizers and sides. Whaddya say?”

Of course, Wonwoo’s gut reaction was to run back into the bathroom and lock himself in a stall again. But he knew better. Maybe it would be a good chance to tell Mingyu off, to tell him that he had quite enjoyed not seeing him for a while and he didn’t think they were getting along too well as friends. Shake him off, and never deal with him again. 

But, he knew better than that, too. 

“Let’s do it,” he agreed. 

They walked back to the group together, with Mingyu in high spirits. He went over to Minghao, pat his shoulder and explained the situation. 

“Oh, he’s a friend of yours?” Minghao asked, seeing Wonwoo hovering around the other side of the table. “Okay, sure. You’ve got a card for the room, right?”  
“Mm, I think so,” Mingyu said, not even caring to check. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

Minghao gave him a look. “Seriously? No, you can do whatever you want. It’s your vacation, too, you know. What, you think I’ll miss you or something?”

“Right, silly of me to ask, Mingyu replied sheepishly. “Okay. Well, see you later.”

As he approached Wonwoo, he saw that he was trapped by a pair of arms around his waist. 

“You’re goiiiing?” Soonyoung drawled, pouting up at Wonwoo. “But Nonu…” 

“Don’t “Nonu” me, I--” he began to mutter back, but then noticed Mingyu come up to them. He then slapped Soonyoung’s possessive arms, which only made his friend pout more. “C’mon dude, let go. I won’t be gone forever. You’ll be fine.” 

Soonyoung glanced at Mingyu, and reluctantly released Wonwoo from his grip. “This is who you’re ditching me for, huh.” 

Mingyu gave a courteous bow, smiling in amusement the whole time. “Hello, I’m Kim Mingyu. I’m Myungho’s friend.” 

“Ohh, I’ve heard about you!” Soonyoung exclaimed, immediately discarding his pout. “Photographer, right? Will you be taking pictures of our performance?”

“Sure will,” Mingyu said humbly. He patted his camera, which was hanging from a strap on his shoulder. “Thanks for allowing me to come along. I hope you’ll also allow me to take Wonwoo out.” 

Wonwoo flinched. That sounded too suggestive of a date. Like he was asking Soonyoung for permission. But, Wonwoo seemed to be the only one who felt that way. Soonyoung didn’t seem to pick up on it. Rather, he just went back to pouting. 

“Oh, stop that,” Wonwoo said softly. He plucked a dumpling off of Soonyoung’s plate and pushed it into his mouth. “No more pouting. I’m going.”

Soonyoung seemed to growl from the back of his throat, but eventually gave in to the delicious dumpling that had been stuffed between his lips. He began to chew, but not before lightly hitting Wonwoo in dismissal. 

“Okay, whatever,” he snarked. “Go have fun with your cool friend. See if I care.” 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes. “Let’s go,” he murmured to Mingyu. “I won’t be gone too long. See you back at the room.” 

Soonyoung made a face at them, but was quickly pulled into a laughing fit by a joke that someone cracked at the table. As soon as he’d begun pouting, it was over. And with that, Mingyu and Wonwoo slipped out of the restaurant and began to wander around for another place to eat. 

Much to his dismay, Mingyu found himself falling into the exact same rhythm he’d been in all the other times he’d hung out with Wonwoo.  _ Infatuated  _ was an easy way to categorize it. They’d decided on a place that was less of a restaurant and more of a bar, and he kept a steady, but dreamy gaze on Wonwoo the whole time. He was dismayed, yes, but only because he was elated. His heart was, in all seriousness, split in two. 

He watched Wonwoo’s sharp, handsome eyes flutter down as he looked over the menu. His delicate fingers, pushing a lock of soft black hair out of his face. His lips, a nice peachy color, press against the rim of his cocktail glass. Mingyu felt his face getting warmer already. He shook his head as if that would help put an end to it. 

“Long time no see, huh,” Wonwoo said, putting the menu down. He was shocked to look up and see Mingyu with a huge smile, even though they hadn’t even said anything to each other yet. 

“Yeah,” Mingyu agreed. “Whatcha been up to?” 

“Good question, I mean...mostly just work and stuff.” Wonwoo shrugged. 

Mingyu thought back on Minghao’s advice from earlier in the day, on the train. See if there was even a possibility...was now an OK time to do something like that? He didn’t know, and admittedly, he didn’t really care, either. 

“Just work?” he echoed. “Nothing else, really?”

“Sadly, that’s all there is too it,” Wonwoo laughed. 

“You’re not seeing anyone?”

“Wha--seeing anyone?” Wonwoo repeated. Mingyu only nodded, blinking curiously. Wonwoo cleared his throat. “No, nothing like that.”

“You’re telling me you’re totally single?” Mingyu asked, the surprise evident in his voice and on his face. 

“Yeah--hey, okay,” Wonwoo started, then narrowed his eyes. “If you’re gonna make fun of me, just get on with it.” 

“Make fun of you? No,” Mingyu said, waving his hands for emphasis. “Sorry, I’m just shocked that someone as handsome and intelligent as you is single.”

Wonwoo peered at him. He saw him poke his tongue into his cheek and contain a grin. _ He must be a little tipsy, _ he thought to himself, relaxing.  _ He looks so giddy already _ . 

“Well, thanks,” he finally said, shyly and with a small voice.

“Me too,” Mingyu said quickly. “I’m also super, super single. If you were wondering.” 

Wonwoo blinked. He glanced at the drink in Mingyu’s hand, and back to his happy face. He noticed a pinkish tint on his cheeks. He glanced at the drink again. 

“Um, I...I’m sorry?” Wonwoo attempted, his face screwing up with confusion. “Being single sucks..?”

Mingyu nodded, leaning back as a plate of food was placed in front of him. “It sure does.” 

As Mingyu grabbed chopsticks and handed Wonwoo a pair, he watched him in bewilderment. He gulped down about half of his cocktail in one go, and began to push food into his mouth as if it were his last meal. The speed of Mingyu’s eating was not new to Wonwoo, however, his line of questioning just now had definitely caught him off guard. And his nonchalance, as if nothing strange happened, was something Wonwoo could never get over. 

But in that moment, he smiled. He plucked a piece of chicken from the same plate, popping it into his mouth. If Mingyu could ask those types of questions, and remain totally chill, that meant there was no suspicion between them, right? Mingyu did not need to press about his love life, or his relationship history, or anything like that. He was content with throwing around the question casually, and letting that be that. That was oddly reassuring. It was just Wonwoo’s own internalized panic that made the whole thing strange. Satisfied with that analysis, Wonwoo was happy to continue their conversation as normal. 

He also found that he was unusually hungry. Picking small bites of appetizers at the previous restaurant hadn’t been as filling as he’d anticipated. When Mingyu heard that, he became even happier. 

“I don’t want to eat a ton right in front of you, though,” Wonwoo said quickly, trying to stop Mingyu from picking up the menu. 

“Are you kidding?” Mingyu gawked. “First of all, I don’t care. Also, I’m always ready for seconds. What should we get?” 

While neither of those were lies, Mingyu also knew he was ordering more food partly out of obligation. Obligation for what, he wasn’t sure. But if Wonwoo was hungry, he wanted to make sure he ate. He’d only found out that Wonwoo was single about an hour ago, but it had succeeded in working his mind into a frenzy. He tried to implant the voice of Minghao into his mind, to offer some kind of rational and well-guided advice. But that was pitifully discarded each time he saw Wonwoo smile, laugh, push his hair back, or look out the window. He was so giddy, and so excited at the possibility that lay before him, that he wanted to tell Wonwoo now. He wanted to say it right there and then, as they were laughing over dinner and drinks in a city that they’d both come to without knowing. 

But he held his tongue. He held his tongue until they finished eating, and even through the next few hours as they simply sat and talked.

It was late, far later than either of them had anticipated, when they finally left the bar. Yet, for some reason, they did not head back towards the hotel. Instead, they wandered along the strip until the salty scent of the ocean grew strong. The shops and restaurants came to an abrupt end, and the street widened.

“Hey, do you know how to get down to the beach?” Mingyu asked, looking out at the dark water. 

“Huh? Yeah, sure,” Wonwoo said. 

“Like, down to the actual sand and water?”

“Yeah. There are steps and ramps that lead down to the beach. Let’s head this way, if you wanna go there.” 

They took a right turn, headed directly towards the water. They quickly found one of the staircases that Wonwoo had mentioned, and stood for a moment. 

“You’ve gotta take off your shoes if you want to walk in the sand, you know,” Wonwoo said after a moment, noting the eagerness in Mingyu’s posture. 

“Yeah, I know. But maybe not yet. Can we just sit here for a little?”

So they did. They brushed off some sand from the steps, and sat looking out at the vast darkness. The moon hovered brightly above the water, casting a dancing reflection onto the waves. The rumbling of the water, in and out, was louder than the traffic and bustling city behind them. It sounded like it was hushing them, with a gentle  _ shh...shh _ with each wave that rolled ashore. Although they couldn’t see it, Wonwoo could perfectly imagine the sand being pulled into the ocean by the white fingers of the waves. It had been a long, long time since he’d come to the beach at night. 

“Do you think it’s strange,” Mingyu began, his voice quiet, “that we are both here right now?”

Wonwoo peered over at him, but he could hardly make anything out. Away from any streetlights, he was left with the glow of lights from somewhere in the distance. He saw that Mingyu was looking out towards the water, his hair bouncing gently with the breeze. 

He did not have to ask what Mingyu was talking about. “Yes,” Wonwoo replied. “I do.” 

“Me too,” Mingyu hummed. “It’s so strange. But I’m glad we are.” 

Wonwoo said nothing. He realized how alone they were. Not a soul was around. There was no one walking along the beach, as it was dark and nearing one in the morning. Even on the promenade behind them, there was hardly anyone. The bars and restaurants, which remained busy, were a ways off. Occasionally, they heard a car pass by. But they were, for the most part, totally alone. In a big city such as this, it felt unusual. 

“I’ve got to tell you something,” Mingyu went on a few minutes later. He paused. “Do you have your shoes on?”

Wonwoo blinked, confused. “My shoes? Yeah, they’re on. Why?”

“In case...in case you want to leave,” Mingyu said. Wonwoo looked over to see him looking down at his hands, which he was fidgeting with. 

The giddiness that had been exploding from him just half an hour ago was now totally gone as he realized the seriousness of the situation he was in. In his head, it was fun and games and fluffy fantasies. But in real time, Mingyu knew that the chances of things turning sour were very, very high. Rather than calming himself down from excitement, he braced himself. 

“That’s silly,” Wonwoo said, though his heart was pounding madly. Ready to burst, really. “I wouldn’t abandon you here in the dark.” 

Mingyu wrung his hands together, and finally turned to meet Wonwoo’s eyes. His handsome features were softly outlined by the distant light. But Wonwoo made out an expression on his face that he’d never seen before--fear. 

“I...like you, Wonwoo.” 

The next thing Mingyu saw was Wonwoo’s shins. He’d stood up. Shot up, basically. He turned, his heels crunching on sand. Mingyu’s eyes fluttered towards the ground as he heard Wonwoo’s steps headed up the stairs, away. He scratched his nose. He turned his gaze back towards the water, his shoulders slumping. But of course--that was the exact reaction he’d been expecting. The sea breeze was no match for his hotly burning cheeks. He closed his eyes, gently, trying not to think too hard about what he’d just done. 

_ Crunch crunch crunch. _ Mingyu’s eyes popped open as he heard footsteps pass by him, and he looked up, surprised to see Wonwoo. He watched him go all the way down to the last step, then come back up. He passed by Mingyu again, and this time Mingyu turned around to see where he went. 

Wonwoo trotted up to the top of the stairs, paused, then turned around and came back down. He stood at the foot of the stairs again, clasping his hands and putting them atop his head. He turned around, looking directly at Mingyu through the darkness. 

Mingyu watched as Wonwoo ascended once again, slowly this time. He wiped his eyes as Wonwoo came to a stop next to him. He hadn’t run away? Mingyu watched his footsteps walk along the length of the step, over to the edge of the staircase then back to Mingyu. He did it again, still holding his hands over his head. 

“What are...what are you doing?” Mingyu asked, his voice shakier than he would have liked. He sniffled. 

“My heart is beating so fast, I have to move around or else I’ll--oh, no,” Wonwoo said urgently, then cutting himself off. He stooped down, next to Mingyu, getting sand on the knees of his nice slacks. “Are you crying?”

“Um, no, I--”

“I made you cry, shit,” Wonwoo said, his voice softer than Mingyu had ever heard it before. “I’m sorry I made you think I actually ran away. I’m so sorry.”

For some reason, Wonwoo’s apology made Mingyu all the more emotional. The welling up of tears he had just managed to blink away was returning, twofold. To his utmost embarrassment, he felt warm tears drip down onto his even warmer cheeks. 

Wonwoo inched closer, his knees grinding down on sand and concrete. Mingyu tried to hide his face, tried to turn away, and he was devastated. He put a hand on Mingyu’s back, patting him soothingly as he pulled a hand away from his face. Wonwoo reached out, then paused. Then, slowly, continued what he was about to do. He wiped the tears from Mingyu’s cheeks. And Mingyu welcomed the gesture. 

“You...you’re totally serious, aren’t you?” Wonwoo asked. He combed Mingyu’s hair out of his face. 

Mingyu sat, rubbing his eyes furiously. “What do you mean?” 

“I thought at first it might’ve been some joke,” Wonwoo admitted. “Something sick that someone put you up to.” 

Mingyu wiped his wettened hands on his sleeves. “Why would someone put me up to this?”

“I dunno, I thought...maybe...someone wanted to play a prank on me,” Wonwoo said, his voice small. 

Mingyu peered at him. “I still don’t get it.” 

Wonwoo held his gaze. He was still, absolutely and totally devastated from seeing Mingyu cry. He took his chance now, in the darkness, to comb through his bangs once more. He should explain his anxieties later; now was the time to address Mingyu’s insecurities.  

“It’s not important,” he said, his voice nearly a whisper. “I’m so sorry, Mingyu. To have made you cry like that.” 

“Um, it’s fine,” Mingyu murmured, trying not to let his voice shake. He looked absolutely flustered, and was staring blankly at Wonwoo’s elbow. “Well, you can leave now.” 

Wonwoo looked him over, heartbroken. A person he only knew as tall, loud, energetic, excited and happy, was curled into a ball, his hands around his knees, sniffling quietly in the dark. It was no doubt his first time confronting emotions like this. Wonwoo could only guess at how he was feeling. The courage it must’ve taken, to do that. Wonwoo hadn’t been nearly that brave the first time he’d liked another boy. In that moment, Wonwoo was overwhelmed by a combination of sadness, empathy, awe, and, well, love. 

He looked up at the street behind them. No one. He looked both ways, up and down the promenade. No one. He looked out towards the water, the dark sand. No one. 

He moved in even closer to Mingyu, so that their bodies were almost pressed against one another. His hand found one of Mingyu’s, and he let it rest there. “Is it okay if I don’t leave?” 

“Mm.” 

“Mingyu.” 

“Hmm.” 

“I like you, too.” 

Mingyu hid his face in his knees for a while, weakly grasping Wonwoo’s hand. Wonwoo sat patiently, patting his back still. Eventually, he wrapped his arm around his shoulders in a hug. They spent a few minutes like this, in silence, until Mingyu lifted his head and looked over at Wonwoo. 

“Will the sand be too cold to walk on?” he asked, swallowing a lump of tears. 

Wonwoo considered the question for a moment. “I’m not sure. Why don’t we see for ourselves?” 

The sand was refreshingly cool under their feet. Shoes in hand, they walked along the shore at a carefree pace. Their bodies fluctuated from being a few inches apart, to pressing against each other as they walked on the uneven ground. 

“So, what should we do?” Mingyu finally asked. 

“You mean you didn’t have any idea what you’d want after telling me your feelings?” Wonwoo asked, puzzled. 

“No,” Mingyu said simply. “I didn’t think I’d get this far.” 

“Oh. I see.” Wonwoo could understand that, all too well. “I mean, when two people like each other, they usually start dating.” 

“Usually,” Mingyu agreed. “But this is different.” 

“It is.” 

“I’ve never dated another boy before.” 

“Well, we don’t have to,” Wonwoo pointed out. 

“I know. But part of me thinks it could be really fun,” Mingyu admitted. “Is that weird?”

Wonwoo looked over at him. “Mingyu, I have a question. I hope it’s not too offensive.” 

“Go ahead.”

“Those times that we’ve hung out before,” Wonwoo began, “did you like me at those times, too?”

Mingyu thought, but only very briefly. “Yes.” 

“Then,” Wonwoo went on, choosing his words carefully. “Wouldn’t you say that they were all dates?” 

Surprised, Mingyu looked up. He blinked at Wonwoo, and a bashful smile spread across his face. “You have a point.” 

They walked along in another stretch of pensive silence. Wonwoo felt his phone buzz, and when he pulled it out he saw a slew of messages from Soonyoung. He glanced through them, but they seemed mostly to be drunken gibberish. 

“We...we would have to keep it a secret, wouldn’t we?” Mingyu asked a few moments later. 

Wonwoo didn’t flinch. “Probably.” 

“That isn’t right.” 

“It’s not too bad,” Wonwoo sighed, a bit more wistfully than he had intended. “You get used to it pretty quick.” 

That piqued Mingyu’s attention.  _ Wonwoo must have had a boyfriend before _ , he realized. He already knew how to have a secret relationship. For some reason, it hit Mingyu with a wave of different feelings. Sadness, that Wonwoo had to hide his relationship at least once before already. A little bit of intimidation, knowing that Wonwoo was already experienced with this whole thing. And, oddly enough, a twang of jealousy. He scratched the back of his neck. 

“Well, I’m up for the challenge,” Mingyu said, beaming. 

Wonwoo laughed. “No need to rush,” he said, gently. “Maybe we should talk about it a little more. After we’ve had some time to think.” 

“...Are you feeling unsure?” Mingyu couldn’t help but ask. 

Walking steadily, Wonwoo looked up at him. “It’s not that. I just...want to make sure you know what you’re getting into.” 

“Wonwoo, I really like you, I’d do whatever it takes to--” 

“Mingyu, please.” Wonwoo’s voice was so quiet that it was almost drowned out by the sound of the ocean. “Just give it some thought.” 

The seriousness in his voice made Mingyu reel it back in immediately. “Okay. I will.”

Carefully, Wonwoo slipped his arm around Mingyu’s, looping them loosely together. Mingyu bit his lip to stop himself from smiling too hard. 

They found another staircase to get back up to the street, and they pulled themselves apart as they sat down on the steps to brush the sand off their feet. They put their shoes back on and continued on their way, not linking their arms back together. They walked until they were back near the bars, where they hailed a taxi and got in. Wonwoo was looking out the window for a bit, and then turned to look at Mingyu. As soon as their eyes met, Mingyu quickly looked away, and Wonwoo smirked. He touched Mingyu’s arm and nodded at him with an amused smile that was meant to say,  _ it’s okay for us to look at each other, you know _ . Mingyu turned red and laughed at his own panicked behavior. 

The hotel lobby was, of course, deserted. They headed straight for the elevator and got in, with Wonwoo letting out an enormous yawn. 

“Are you on the fourth floor, too?” he asked, to which Mingyu nodded. He rubbed his eyes and pressed the 4 button, and the elevator slowly began to rise. Once at the fourth floor, they shuffled into the hallway, their steps muffled by the plush carpet. 

“Thanks, for tonight,” Mingyu whispered as they stood to part ways. 

Wonwoo smiled at him, quite sleepily. “Sorry I made you cry.” 

“That’s okay,” Mingyu replied. “It felt kind of good, in a weird way.”

“I know what you mean.” 

Mingyu shifted his feet. “So, can I like, give you a goodnight hug, or something?”

Wonwoo clamped his lips together to suppress his laughter. “Whatever you want, Mingyu.” 

“I think I made it too awkward by asking,” Mingyu said, ripe with embarrassment. “I’ll just go. Okay. Goodnight, Wonwoo.” 

He turned to head down the corridor. But he heard Wonwoo whisper his name, and felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned, greeted by Wonwoo standing right in front of him. And in a half of a heartbeat, he felt Wonwoo lean up and place a kiss on the corner of his mouth. It the softest thing he’d ever felt, yet left his face burning hotter than he knew how to describe. 

Wonwoo’s eyes glinted. “Goodnight.” 

Mingyu stood there like a fool, holding a hand to the side of his face where the kiss had been placed, and watched Wonwoo walk down the hall. It wasn’t until he turned a corner and disappeared out of sight that Mingyu finally remembered that he had legs and began to make his way back to his own room. 

Wonwoo entered his room feeling tingly and warm inside. The lights were off, save for a bedside lamp which Soonyoung had forgotten to get. Wonwoo saw him there, spread out on the bed with one leg dangling off the side and completely passed out. He smirked. Noiselessly (though he knew it wouldn’t matter) he changed into his pajamas and brushed his teeth. He placed his glasses, wallet, and phone on the nightstand, and then got to work with Soonyoung. He pulled and pushed him this way and that to make enough room for himself on the bed. Soonyoung grunted and rolled around in his sleep throughout the whole process, but was mostly compliant. Finally, Wonwoo fixed the blankets so he could use them as well. Before crawling into bed beside his friend, he turned off the lamp that had been left on. 

Once in bed, Wonwoo found himself to be quite tired. Sure, he was riddled with excitement about what had just transpired, but he found himself lying down with an unusually low amount of anxiety compared to other nights when he’d gotten home from being with Mingyu. Considering all that happened tonight, it seemed strange. But then again--the main cause of his anxiety had finally been addressed tonight. He even felt himself become  _ more  _ confident after they had expressed themselves to one another, and not the other way around. He could sleep soundly knowing that Mingyu knew he liked him, and he liked him back. He began to think about their beachside walk, and the feeling of Mingyu’s strong, warm body flanked against his in the chilly night air. And their quick kiss, which had felt so good, and made Wonwoo realize how long he had been wanting to do that for. The thoughts filled him with an emotional warmth, and soon he was as fast asleep as Soonyoung. 

Mingyu, however, could not have had a more different experience. When he entered his room, trying to be sneaky, he was caught off guard by Minghao sitting up in bed, reading a book with a glass of water on the nightstand. 

“Fun night?” he asked, peering at him from above his readers. “You look like a teenager trying to sneak back in after curfew.” 

“Don’t psychoanalyze me!” Mingyu accused, dropping his act and closing the door normally. He kicked off his shoes and dropped his camera off by his bag. 

Minghao rolled his eyes, going back to his book. “Such a kid,” he muttered, turning a page. 

Even after a while, once he’d changed and gotten ready for bed and Minghao put away his book to sleep, Mingyu found himself giddy as he got into bed. He laid there, straight as an arrow, staring up at the ceiling which offered him nothing but an expanse of black. But he could barely shut his eyes.

He couldn’t believe how well the whole thing had turned out. Although he had hoped it wouldn’t be a disaster, he started to come to terms with the fact that it would. It would have been one miracle for Wonwoo to accept him and nothing more, but to have mutual affirmation? Mingyu didn’t know how to contain himself, really. He’d even gotten a goodnight kiss. Sure, he cried, but it had been worth it. He was excited to see Wonwoo tomorrow, even if it was only for a little while at the dance performance. They’d be focusing on the show, but even just sitting with him would be enjoyable. It made every little thing so different, to know that they liked each other. Just the thought of sending a good morning text in a few hours was exciting. 

His restlessness got so bad to where he had to pop his headphones in and listen to some music to get himself to wind down. After he finally drifted off to sleep, he dreamed about the two of them getting sea salt gelato by the beach, having the kinds of strange and unintelligible conversations that so often appear in dreams. When they were at the beach in his dream, the sun was out and the white sand and glittering blue water lay before them.


	6. Two Orders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The weekend in Busan comes to an end. Wonwoo and Mingyu have their first not-date..?

Minghao woke to his alarm buzzing softly at his bedside. He gave a stretch, sat up, and blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes. He reached for his phone and turned his alarm off. Next to him, Mingyu was still fast asleep. Minghao could hear the soft thrum of bass coming from his headphones, which were still nestled into his ears. 

Careful not to disturb his deeply sleeping friend, Minghao shrugged himself out of the blanket and got out of bed. He headed to the sink, pulling hair clips out of his pouch and pinning his bangs back. He carefully washed his face, applied his products, and began to put an outfit together. By the time he was ready, the clock on the nightstand read 8:16 AM. Mingyu appeared to be dreaming--his eyelids were fluttering, his brows furrowing, and his lips pouting. Quietly, Minghao left the room. 

Out in the street, the sun was already shining brightly. The crisp, fresh scent of the nearby ocean was lovely. Yes, a seaside cafe was definitely the best way to start his day. Deciding to take a walk and find a place without using his phone, Minghao followed his nose and headed for the sea. 

He found a cafe--busy and bustling on a sunny weekend morning--with outdoor seating and a simple menu. He ordered a hot americano (iced drinks were no good for healthy digestion), and a simple strawberry pastry. He found a small, isolated table in the corner of the patio with a decent view of the sparkling blue water. He pulled out his phone, and faced it towards himself while plugging in a pair of headphones.

The call rang, then paused. After a moment of buffering, he was greeted with the familiar sight of a messy-haired Junhui, swaddled in the blankets of his bed.  

“Good morning,” he said, speaking softly in Chinese. “Is it too early for you?”

“No, I was lying awake just waiting for you to call me,” Junhui responded, batting his eyes.

“Hm. Charming,” Minghao said flatly. “Not creepy in the slightest.” 

“Yes, darling, anything for you.”

“...Anyway,” Minghao went on, entirely used to Jun’s antics. “Something interesting happened last night.” 

“You realized you’re in love with me?” 

“Mingyu--my roommate, you know him--happened to know someone else on this trip. They left together, at dinner, and were out the whole night.” 

“Okay,” Junhui began, and Minghao watched him roll onto his side and adjust his blankets. “That’s not very interesting.” 

Minghao tapped his fork on the golden-brown crust of his pastry. “No, not really. But when he came back to the hotel room, which was quite late by the way, he seemed like, intoxicated.” 

“Well. Was he?” Junhui asked. 

“A little bit, I think.” 

There was a pause. “I don’t think I’m understanding the problem..?” Junhui tried. 

“Well, the way he came back to the room was like...he sort of sauntered in. He looked less drunk and more dream-like, if that makes sense. His face was bright red. And not from alcohol--he doesn’t really get like that. And he was so nervous and giddy when I talked to him, like he was worked up about something.” 

“So, what are you getting at?” 

“I think,” Minghao began, popping a strawberry into his mouth. “I think Mingyu has a crush on somebody.” 

“That’s a jump, don’t you think?!” Junhui started. 

“Are you doubting my perceptive abilities?” Minghao snapped in return. 

“No, of course not, love of my life.” Junhui rolled over in his bed again. “Actually, I’d trust your perception more than anyone else’s. You’re very skilled at picking things up, no matter how subtle. But, um.” 

There was a pause. 

“What?” Minghao asked. 

“Why are you...calling me about this?” Junhui asked. “If Mingyu has a crush, well...so what?” 

Minghao sipped his coffee. He fiddled with his fork, and glanced above his glasses at the water. His eyes darted up towards a seagull, gliding on the breeze and squawking. “The person he went out with last night is a man.” 

Junhui sighed. “Okay, well, I think he was probably just drunk, then.” 

“You’re doubting my perceptions,” Minghao muttered.

“I’m not, I just…” Junhui began. He paused. “I mean, seriously. What are the odds that he--” 

“Don’t make it seem so impossible,” Minghao cut in, sharply. “You ought to know better.” 

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” Junhui breathed. A few seconds passed in silence. Junhui’s eyes darted down, and he was biting his lip. He sighed, propped himself up on his elbows, and looked earnestly at his screen. “So, say he does have this crush. Are you going to do something about it?” 

Minghao shrugged. “I don’t know. I’d want to talk to him.” 

“It’s a bit too soon, don’t you think?” Junhui suggested, trying not to upset Minghao yet again. 

But Minghao knew this was a good point. “Yes,” he agreed. “Yes, I think it is too soon. I just...if it’s true, I--”

“You want to be there for him,” Junhui supplied, his voice soft. He gazed knowingly at Minghao. 

“Right,” Minghao said. Even through the unclear quality of the video call, Junhui could see the deep emotions that filled Minghao’s eyes. Despite that, a small smile spread across his face. “But it is too soon. In fact, if I did something now I bet it’d backfire and scare him.” 

Junhui couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, probably.” He smiled, then pulled out a finger and poked the camera, as if to tap Minghao’s face. “Don’t worry yourself to death about it. But keep me posted.” 

Minghao grinned, giving Junhui a “poke” in return. “You know I will.” 

“How’s Busan, by the way?” Jun asked. “Where are you right now? Looks like outside, somewhere…”

  


By the time he had finished eating his late lunch, Wonwoo decided it was a good idea to head over to the performance venue. His phone told him it was only a twenty minute walk from where he stood, outside the restaurant. He pulled out his headphones and put on something relaxing, something that could help him think as he walked. Jazz was good. 

Not long after starting his day, Wonwoo had been greeted with a good morning text from Mingyu. He’d smiled to himself, replied promptly, and didn’t even bother putting his phone back into his pocket. From there, the two of them had decided to meet up at the venue to watch the performance together. It seemed like a natural decision, after what they had established last night. 

Wonwoo watched his shoes glide over the sidewalk. His brain was telling him that he had acted far too rashly, by giving Mingyu a peck on the cheek like that. He grinned to himself. His heart told him it was fine. It was totally innocent, after all. A kiss on the cheek hardly meant a thing nowadays. 

But it definitely meant something for them. 

What that something was, Wonwoo wasn’t sure. What had last night made them? Technically nothing, he supposed. They had confessed mutual feelings towards each other, but that was it. They were not...boyfriends. Not any kind of item or affair, in fact. They would have to talk about where to go from there. Unfortunately, Wonwoo knew he was greatly unprepared for that conversation. He had no idea what he wanted. Yes, it was wonderful and validating to know that his crush on Mingyu was returned--there was no question about that. But…

Things hadn’t gone well last time this happened. 

Wonwoo shoved his hands in his pockets, and kicked a stone over the curb. 

This...was not the same situation, he reminded himself. This is a fresh start. This is a new person, a new place. But still, how could he trust anything? Maybe Mingyu was more experienced than him in dating, even if he had only ever dated girls. Maybe this would be a better experience, where Mingyu knew what he was doing and could hold Wonwoo’s hand through it all. From his behavior--confident, expressive--maybe this was true. Wonwoo found some relief in the possibility that Mingyu could lead him through a relationship that didn’t leave an awful taste in his mouth. 

Well, wait. Wasn’t he getting ahead of himself? He was just reflecting on how they weren’t an item yet. 

“Dammit,” he muttered, adjusting his glasses. He had totally managed to fluster himself. 

Better not think about it anymore. 

A few more minutes of walking, and Wonwoo had reached the venue. It was indeed a performance hall--smaller than he was imagining, but a performance hall all the same. He pulled his ticket out of his wallet and handed it to the clerk as he entered. He wound his headphones up and slipped them back into his pocket, and looked around the venue. There were maybe 150, 200 seats. Quite cozy, he observed. But he’d get a good view of the performance with such intimate seating, no doubt. For a recreational dance team, Wonwoo was pleasantly surprised that they could put on a gig in a real performance hall like this. He smiled and began to walk down the aisle to find a seat. 

An unforgettable silhouette, standing on the stage, caught his eye before he found a seat. It was Mingyu, orchestrating a group photo of the team. With a _one, two, three_ , a bright flash of light lit up the stage for a split second. The group then broke out of pose, and Mingyu’s focused turned to his camera to review the photos. He pushed a hand through his hair, and leaned on one leg while letting the other bend lazily at the knee. Wonwoo blinked, glancing away and then telling himself not to act embarrassing. It was just a handsome pose, that’s all. 

It was in that moment when Mingyu, satisfied with his photos, looked up and noticed Wonwoo hovering near the seating. He smiled hugely, like always, and Wonwoo waved. Mingyu quickly came over, slung his camera over his shoulder and out of sight, and hopped down from the stage. 

“Hi,” he said, excitement clear in his voice. 

Wonwoo smiled. “How long have you been here taking photos?” 

“Oh, man. Um, probably a little over an hour by now,” Mingyu said, pushing a hand through his hair again. “It’s been great, the whole team is really charismatic.” 

Wonwoo nodded, thinking solely of Soonyoung. “Yeah. I bet.” 

“Well,” Mingyu began, “do you wanna sit?” 

“Oh, I mean--” Wonwoo stuttered. “Are you done, like, taking photos and all?”

Mingyu tossed his hand out nonchalantly. “Pft, yeah, I’ve been done for a while. I took all the individual shots at the beginning, and I was kinda just dicking around until you showed up.” 

Wonwoo’s face grew a little warm knowing that Mingyu had essentially been waiting for him. “Okay. Where should we sit?” 

“Why not right here?” Mingyu said, pointing to seats that were front and center, right before the stage. “That way I can get up to take better photos of the dancing without disturbing the audience.” 

“R-Right up front like that?” Wonwoo stammered. The fear that they’d be seen sitting together shot through him like a bolt of lightning. But it’s not like anyone in the audience knew them, or cared about them. He supposed Soonyoung might see them, but he’d be busy dancing, probably, but if Mingyu got up to take photos it would draw more attention to them, and even if people in the audience didn’t know them they would start to look over and--

“Oh, good point. It might cause less disturbance if we sit off to the side,” Mingyu remarked, cutting off Wonwoo’s panicked train of thought. “You’re right! Let’s sit over there, then.” 

Wonwoo blinked rapidly, tight-lipped, as he emptied his stupid, worried mind. _Snap out of it,_ he told himself harshly. _How can you fuck up something so simple as sitting together? Calm down, for crying out loud._ Sighing, he followed Mingyu over to the edge of the row, sitting gingerly in the seat next to the one Mingyu had plopped down in. 

The subtle things that Wonwoo had noticed, and liked, before seemed easier to appreciate now. Mingyu’s cologne lingered in the air around him, slightly detectable with each inhale of breath. Wonwoo realized he could openly indulge in it now, instead of biting his lip and trying to ignore the smell. The way he sat in his seat, so loose and relaxed and completely opposite to Wonwoo’s stiff pose, was nice. His shoulder and elbow pushed out of the confines of his seat and reached into Wonwoo’s space, just a bit. The way his foot tapped to the beat of the music, and his head bobbed with enjoyment. Even the warmth of his body so close, Wonwoo realized, was delightful. When he got up to take photos, the warmth went with him. And when he sat back down, it returned, and Wonwoo’s shoulders relaxed with it there. 

Mingyu clapped especially loud for a solo performance, done by that skinny kid who Wonwoo knew to be his roommate. He had performed a very intricate and unique dance that begun as hip-hop style breakdancing and evolved into a beautiful ballet. It had gone on for two or three times as long as the group’s other performances, he realized. It had really been quite amazing to watch. Wonwoo couldn’t help but smile at the fervor in which Mingyu applauded his friend, and he found it very sweet. 

When the showcase drew to a close, the two of them went backstage to congratulate the team and their respective friends. Wonwoo didn’t dare hug Soonyoung, on account of how sweat-drenched he was. 

“It’s just a little sweat,” Soonyoung complained, spreading his arms. “C’mon, bro.”

“Mm. Hard pass,” Wonwoo replied. With his fingertips, he pushed his friend’s arms back to his sides. 

“Some friend you are.” Soonyoung huffed. “Anyway, you grabbing dinner with us tonight, or what?”

“Actually...I just ate, not too long ago,” Wonwoo admitted. Soonyoung immediately pulled a face, and Wonwoo shrugged apologetically. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking ahead.” 

“So, you’re just gonna go back to the room and pack, or what?” Soonyoung interrogated. 

“I already packed, earlier today.” 

“Okay, loser. Being all prepared and shit.” 

“We have to catch our train back at 9, you know…” Wonwoo reminded him. “You’d better not get all drunk tonight and forget.” 

Mouthing a slew of nonsense, Soonyoung mocked his advice. He groaned when Wonwoo only looked at him sternly. “Yeah, yeah I know, okay?! Sheesh. I won’t make us miss the train or anything.” 

Before Wonwoo could chastize him anymore, he was mobbed by his dance crew who bombarded him with praise and congratulations. Wonwoo smiled, but found it a good moment to slip away. To no one’s surprise, he found Mingyu waiting for him near the exit of the backstage area. 

“You going to dinner with everyone?” Mingyu asked him. 

Wonwoo shook his head. “I ate earlier.” 

Mingyu hummed thoughtfully. “I see. So where are you off to, then?” 

Shrugging, Wonwoo replied, “I don’t know, actually. I didn’t really have a plan. I was thinking of walking by the sea one last time, I guess. Can’t get that in Seoul.” 

“Cool, that sounds nice,” Mingyu murmured, picking at his sleeve. 

Really? Wonwoo rolled his eyes, snickering. “Would you like to come along?” 

“Yes,” Mingyu replied, immediately perking up. “I haven’t eaten yet, though. Is it okay if I grab some takeout to eat as we walk?”

“Sure, sure…” 

The sun was hovering just above the water, not quite setting yet. The sky was still a bright light blue, and not yet red or orange or pink. Mingyu excitedly opened up his takeout box, revealing steaming pajeon and tteokbokki. He wasted no time in digging in with his usual enthusiasm. 

“I’m still really sorry that I made you cry,” Wonwoo abruptly began. 

Mingyu nearly choked, but was laughing. “Why are you still sorry? Do I still seem sad to you?” 

“No, it’s just,” Wonwoo began, unable to stop himself from chuckling a bit as well. “It’s not easy to forgive yourself from making someone cry, y’know? And I was thinking about it last night...I can’t believe you had the guts to do that.” 

“To cry?”

“No, dummy. To tell me about your feelings,” Wonwoo explained. 

“What do you mean?” Mingyu asked, chewing a rice cake with determination. “You told me your feelings, too.” 

Wonwoo gazed at him. “It’s not the same, Mingyu. Not even close. If you hadn’t said something first, I never would have. Ever.” 

Mingyu frowned. “Why not?”

“For the exact same reason why you cried, I guess.” 

“It’s scary.” 

“Right.” 

Mingyu remained in a thoughtful silence for a moment. Then, he tore off a piece of the pajeon, holding it out to Wonwoo with his chopsticks. “All is forgiven. I swear. I could not be happier.” 

Wonwoo grinned, but only slightly. He took the food and pushed it into his mouth, chewing slowly. He knew Mingyu was telling the truth. But it would be a while before he could truly forgive himself. The aromatic flavor of scallions mixed tastily with the pajeon dough. He opened his mouth for another piece. 

“Thought you already ate?” Mingyu teased, but happily supplying him with another piece. 

“I did,” Wonwoo laughed, chewing happily. 

“By the way,” Mingyu started. He picked up a rice cake, drenched in sauce, preparing to give it to Wonwoo. “I thought more about it. What you asked me to think about, I mean.” 

“Uh-huh,” Wonwoo said, pulling the rice cake from the chopsticks with his teeth. 

“I still wanna date you.” Mingyu watched Wonwoo laugh with his mouth full of saucy tteokbokki. 

“You haven’t thought hard enough,” Wonwoo told him, shaking his head. 

“I don’t get it!” Mingyu exclaimed, though he was grinning. “Why wouldn’t I want to? I like you, and you like me, so isn’t that what we should do? I think you’re funny, and interesting, and great to talk to--”

“Mingyu.” 

“--and kind, and cute, and thoughtful--” 

“Mingyu.” 

“--and passionate, and sexy, honestly, and--”

“Aren’t you scared?” 

Mingyu finally paused. “Scared?” 

“Yes. Scared.” Wonwoo repeated. “Worried. Anxious. Nervous. Uncertain.” 

Staring at his food, Mingyu began pushing it around absentmindedly with his chopsticks. “Of course. I cried about it, remember?” 

“So, why aren’t you thinking about that?” Wonwoo asked, his voice serious but gentle. 

“I have.” Mingyu stopped playing with his food to hold Wonwoo’s gaze. “I _have_ thought about it, Wonwoo. I was scared to tell you my feelings. I was scared, and I thought about it. In the end, I decided to tell you anyway. The fear was intimidating, but the desire to be true to myself was stronger. Aside from that, I thought about the possibility of a positive outcome. The thought of that made it worth a shot, too. I thought about it then, and when I think about it now, it’s the same reason. 

“Last night, I couldn’t fall asleep because I was so giddy of thinking about what could happen between us. Yes, I had been terrified and I had cried. But it had turned out to be good. So good, that I was thinking of all the things we could do together, all the things I could get to know about you, all the time I could just spend in your presence. The bad things and the fear just can’t compare.” 

Wonwoo held his gaze just as steadily. He knew his cheeks were turning red, and why shouldn’t they? Mingyu was spilling some very sensitive thoughts to him. It was cute. It was lovely, in fact. But Wonwoo still wasn’t totally convinced. 

“Mingyu,” he began, gently. “Do you even know what those bad things are?” 

This caught Mingyu off guard. He broke their mutual gaze to glance at the floor, around, and finally back up. “I mean, I-I can assume, it’s like--”

“You can assume, but you don’t _know_.” Wonwoo concluded. He closed his eyes, heaving a gentle sigh. When he reopened them, he smiled. “You’ve never had any kind of relationship like this, right?”

Mingyu scratched his nose. “No, uh. No.” 

A few moments of silence passed between them. Thoughtful silence. Mingyu was feverishly chewing his words over in his mind. 

“But...you have, right?” Mingyu tried. “Had relationships, um, like this.” 

Wonwoo blinked at him. Nodded. 

“Well, if you know about all the bad things that can happen, why don’t you tell me?” Mingyu went on to suggest. His eyes grew wider as he looked at Wonwoo eagerly. “Teach me what to do, and what not to do. How else am I going to know? I’d have to go off and date some other guy and mess up a whole lot.” 

He had a good point. A very good point that Wonwoo hadn’t even considered. Despite that, there was still something very important being left out. 

“In theory, that’s a great idea, but...it’s difficult, to relive those things.” Wonwoo inhaled. “I could, I just--” 

“It’s okay,” Mingyu said, stopping him. “You don’t have to explain. I didn’t think about that. I’m sorry for proposing something so hard for you.”

Wonwoo smiled. “I’m sorry, too. It seems that I’m the one who needs to do some more thinking here.” 

Mingyu grinned, and then looked around. He reached for Wonwoo’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “That’s okay,” he said, loving Wonwoo’s reddening face. “I think we both have things to think about.” 

They moved on to more casual subjects, and sat on a beachside bench to finish Mingyu’s food. Eventually, the sun did set, and they watched it in peaceful silence. In the extravagantly colored light, however, Mingyu could not resist snapping a few photos of Wonwoo. _It’s for the lighting,_ he reassured a flustered Wonwoo. _Not because you’re pretty or anything._  

They got back to the hotel with enough time for Mingyu to pack, and after a brief goodbye they went to their separate rooms. Wonwoo was relieved to find Soonyoung gathering his belongings, getting ready for their train ride back to Seoul. 

“You missed some really good soup,” Soonyoung informed him, his tone implying the significance of his loss. 

Wonwoo couldn’t help but grin. “I’m sure I did.” 

  
  


The wooden sign clattered as Mingyu flipped it around to read CLOSED. He dimmed the lights, and his coworker exited from the back room, her hair down and her clothes changed from her uniform into a hoodie and jeans. 

“Are you ready?” she called, hovering behind the counter. “Should I set the alarm?”

“Um,” Mingyu began, checking the lock on the front door. “Actually, I still have to take care of the leftover pastries. You go on and head out, though.” 

“You sure?” she asked, to which Mingyu nodded. She smiled. “Well, okay. Goodnight, then.” 

Mingyu waved. “Goodnight! Get home safely.” 

Once alone, he too changed into his street clothes. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he reached for it immediately. 

 

**Wonwoo** 🤓

 yeah i’m home right now, why?

is everything ok 

 

Picking up his pace, Mingyu folded a pastry box into shape and placed a handful of assorted pastries inside it. He made sure to put four or five pieces of cream bread. Satisfied, he closed the box and sealed it with a sticker that had the cafe’s logo on it. He gave the cafe one last look-over to make sure everything was right and proper for the morning’s shift, and then set the security alarm. He ducked out, heading down the street quickly. 

 

**me**

Everything is fine!! Have u eaten yet? 

**Wonwoo** 🤓

yeah i just finished a whole bag of chips 

**me**

Okay, so u haven’t eaten yet

Got it :))) 

**Wonwoo 🤓**

wait what

 

After a few minutes of walking, Mingyu reached his first destination. He opened a door and was greeted with the sweet, spicy, and overwhelmingly rich smell of noodles of all kinds. Not only was his favorite noodle house delicious, it was also cheap and had lightning fast service. It was also conveniently located between his workplace and the area he knew Wonwoo lived in. He placed two orders of spicy beef noodles, to-go. As he waited, he pulled out his phone again. 

 

**me**

What’s ur address??

**Wonwoo** 🤓

i’m not letting u bring me food

ur not slick

**me**

No I’m just trying to see what restaurants are around u so u can go get something

**Wonwoo** 🤓

i know what restaurants i live by

lmao nice try

(not really)

**me**

Give me ur address or else i’ll wander around all night looking for it and i won’t stop until i get to ur place!!!

**Wonwoo 🤓**

ok i can actually picture u doing that

fine

 

With impeccable timing, Mingyu received both Wonwoo’s address and his food. He thanked the cashier and headed out, opening a map on his phone to make sure he went the quickest way. It was only a ten minute walk from where he already was. Perfect..!

Wonwoo sat on his couch, an empty chip bag beside him and a relaxed Cheebu in his lap. He put his phone down with a sigh. Was Mingyu seriously coming over? It was getting late--he was probably just going to drop off some food and leave. Or, so Wonwoo hoped. It wasn’t that he was ungrateful, or that he didn’t want to see Mingyu, but...he looked around his living room. It definitely presented evidence of Wonwoo’s business and lack of energy as of late. The rug hadn’t been vacuumed in weeks, there were empty juice boxes and books scattered across the coffee table. Cat toys littered the ground, and a couple of Wonwoo’s own socks that Cheebu had dragged out for play. A couple of video game cases lay before the TV set, open and on the floor. His kitchen was barren, and had nothing to offer if Mingyu did actually come over to stay for a while. And his bedroom, well...that door would just have to remain closed. 

Aside from that, his clothes were in no shape for company. He’d changed into lounge clothes as soon as he’d come home, and he was absolutely coated in cat hair. He winced. 

“If he’s going to do spontaneous antics like this, it might not work out after all,” he laughed, murmuring quietly so only Cheebu could hear. He tickled his chin, and he lifted his head and gave way to a loud bout of purring. 

Faster than he’d anticipated, Wonwoo heard a knock at the door. He and Cheebu glanced at each other. Suddenly, Wonwoo’s heart shot into his throat and his feet went numb. Why was he so nervous? It was just Mingyu. Just Mingyu, coming into his apartment. Mingyu, bringing him some food so late at night…

He snapped out of his worries. Gently, he lifted Cheebu off his lap and went to the door. Out of habit, he looked through the peephole though he knew it couldn’t be anyone other than Mingyu. With a sharp inhale, he unlocked and opened the door. 

“Hi,” Mingyu greeted, flashing his huge grin. 

Wonwoo peered at him from the crack of his doorway. “You’re nuts. I can’t believe you came all this way to give me food.” 

Mingyu shrugged. “I haven’t eaten either, so it just seemed convenient.” 

Wonwoo smiled slyly. “Convenient? Don’t you live on the other side of town?” 

“Nah, that’s an exaggeration,” Mingyu scoffed, lying through his teeth. He held up his bag of food, shaking it gently. “Well?” 

Wonwoo pursed his lips together. “You...want to come in, huh.” 

Mingyu froze. “That’s okay, isn’t it?” He lowered the bag. “Is it a bad time? Or do you not want…”

“No, no nothing like that,” Wonwoo said, becoming sheepish. “I just...I haven’t really cleaned, and I’m wearing like, sweatpants…”

Mingyu smiled, giggling. “Do you think I was expecting you to be wearing a suit and tie, when I asked to come over out of the blue at 10pm on a Tuesday night? Sweatpants and a messy room is exactly what I hoped for.” 

Suddenly, Wonwoo felt quite...stupid. He made it seem so simple and obvious. Well, duh, he thought to himself. He scratched his head, and then laughed at himself. “I guess you have a point,” he admitted, grinning at himself in disbelief. “Yeah. Okay. Um, come on in, then.”

Mingyu stepped inside, kicking off his shoes as Wonwoo softly closed the door behind him. “Where should we eat?”

“Coffee table is fine,” Wonwoo replied, pointing to the table in question. “I just gotta clear off some stuff.” 

He shuffled over to the table, and Mingyu followed curiously behind him. Wonwoo quickly snatched up the empty juice boxes, and stacked his books up and placed them on a side table next to the couch. With embarrassment, he tossed the juice boxes and got two glasses of water for them. He hurried back to the living room. 

Mingyu was kneeling at the table, lifting the food boxes out of the bag and getting out chopsticks and napkins. He set the box of pastries down, too, and tied the empty bag into a knot to reuse later. Wonwoo was coming up behind him when he heard a loud gasp. 

“Oh! Hello,” Mingyu cooed, and Wonwoo heard Cheebu’s familiar meow. “Who’s this?”

Wonwoo put the cups on the table and rushed around to the other side of the table to collect his pet. “Sorry, I’ll get him--” 

In one swift movement, Wonwoo scooped Cheebu up into his arms, who was delighted to be held by his owner. He turned, ready to put Cheebu in his room, when a hand on his leg stopped him. 

“Hey, he can be out here! I don’t mind,” Mingyu insisted. 

Wonwoo paused. “Are you sure? He’s very clingy, and, ah, fluffy…” 

Mingyu stood, gasping again as his movement caused Cheebu’s head to swivel in his direction. “Yeah, I’m sure.” He reached out and gingerly pet the top of Cheebu’s head, stroking him between his ears. “He’s cute. What’s his name?” 

“Cheebu.” 

“Chee...bu?”

“It’s, um,” Wonwoo began, turning red as he looked down at his cat. “It’s short for cheeseburger.” 

Mingyu stared, and then burst into a laugh. “Short for cheeseburger, huh? Nice.” 

Wonwoo grinned, then stooped over to place Cheebu on the ground. He twirled around his legs, then went to investigate Mingyu’s. Wonwoo stood up straight once more, seeing Mingyu smiling softly at him. “I’m uh, covered in cat hair,” he remarked. 

“I didn’t really notice,” Mingyu assured him. “But it’s cute, now that you mention it.” 

Wonwoo’s blush returned, and he adjusted his glasses. “Heh, whatever...anyway, thanks for the food. Again, you’re crazy.” 

Mingyu knelt back down, delighted to find Cheebu already lying next to him. Wonwoo followed suit. “It’s no big deal, seriously. Like I said, I haven’t eaten, either. And I haven’t seen you in a while, so, two-in-one.” 

Wonwoo heaved a small sigh. “Yeah, sorry about that. They’ve been working me hard at the office.” 

“No need to apologize,” Mingyu said, pushing a box of noodles his way. “I’ve been busy, too. You know, with the end of the semester and all.” 

Wonwoo nodded understandingly. They hadn’t seen each other since the weekend in Busan, which was now over two weeks ago. He pulled out his chopsticks, broke them apart, and opened his noodles. His eyes lit up. 

“This looks really good,” he commented. “Is it from that place a few blocks down..?”

“Yeah, where I ran into you once,” Mingyu confirmed. “These are the spicy beef noddles I said you should try. I don’t know if you ever got around to it, but, here they are.”

Wonwoo curiously pulled up some noodles, and put them in his mouth. As he chewed slowly, tasting and feeling the texture, he watched Mingyu scoop a giant knot of noodles into his mouth. He nodded, raising his brows. _Pretty good!_ his expression said. 

“You like it?” Mingyu asked, to which Wonwoo nodded, still chewing. “Cool. Oh, by the way, remember those pictures of you I took in Busan? Well, they were on my DSLR instead of my usual 35mm, so they’re digital. I have ‘em on my phone. See?” 

Wonwoo was horrified to not only see his face, but to see his face covered by a bunch of apps. It was a wallpaper. 

“Change that!” he yelled, covering his mouth which was still full of noodles. He pushed the phone away and shook his head violently. “Oh my god, Mingyu! Change that!” 

Mingyu only stuck out his tongue and giggled. He pressed a few buttons on his phone, then held it back up for Wonwoo to see. This time, it was just the photo as a file in his camera roll. “Here, look. They came out really nice. Just swipe left.” 

Groaning, Wonwoo looked through the photos. Though there were only 4, it still seemed like too many. Wonwoo looked at them with a very apparent blush in his cheeks. Finally, he handed the phone back to Mingyu. “They’re really nice. You are such a good, good photographer. But I swear, if you don’t change your wallpaper…” 

Mingyu smirked at him and put his phone in his pocket. “Go ahead, swear all you want. It’s my phone, my photo, my wallpaper.” 

Wonwoo gave him a side eye so sharp that Mingyu nearly pulled his phone out and changed his wallpaper right then and there. He laughed nervously. 

Once they were stuffed from the noodle dinner, the post-meal listlessness began to set in. They moved to the couch, where they stretched out with blissful content. Mingyu sprawled out comfortably, and Wonwoo laid on his back. He glanced up, and caught Mingyu’s gaze. Mingyu raised his brows, biting his nail. Wonwoo blinked. Wordlessly, Wonwoo crawled over just enough so that he could lay his head in Mingyu’s lap. 

“...Is this okay?” he asked, his voice small. 

“Silly question,” Mingyu responded. He reached down to push aside a lock of hair that was obscuring Wonwoo’s face. “You okay? You’ve seemed...distracted since I got here.”

Wonwoo sighed. “This just...this isn’t really how I imagined any of our dates to go,” he admitted, shuffling his hands, which were hidden partly in the sleeves of his jumper. “My place is a mess, we’re eating cheap take-out food, and I’m in cat-hair covered pajamas.” 

Mingyu gazed intently at him. “I wasn’t really imagining anything. I think any date is a great date, to me. I like everything how it is tonight.” 

“But I want it to be better,” Wonwoo insisted. “I want to plan it, make sure it’s perfect. We should go somewhere nice, and do something really fun. I want to do that, for you.” 

A warm smile spread across Mingyu’s face. “Well, we haven’t really like, made our relationship official or anything. This doesn’t have to count as a date.” 

Wonwoo huffed. “Why do you have to be so understanding?” 

“What?”

“You’re too nice,” Wonwoo reiterated. He playfully hit Mingyu’s stomach, sighing. “You somehow have the perfect response to everything I say. Cut it out!” 

Mingyu laughed. “I can’t help it, I’m just perfect for you I guess.” He sighed with fake wistfulness, earning another hit to the stomach. 

All jokes aside, Wonwoo couldn’t gaze up at him in admiration without a twinge of guilt. “You really are great, Mingyu. I’m sorry that I’m like, making you wait on me. I just don’t think that I’m ready.” 

The playful amusement on Mingyu’s face disappeared, and he looked at Wonwoo with a focused and serious expression. “Don’t apologize for that.” 

“But it’s true.” 

“So what?” Mingyu insisted. “If you’re not ready, the last thing I would want is to force you into it. If we’re both happier after waiting, then we’ll wait. Right?”

Wonwoo pressed his lips together tightly. He shook his head in awe. “You’re really okay with that?” 

“I’m really okay with that.” 

Wonwoo picked at the threads of his sweater. “To be honest, I was kind of avoiding you since we got back from Busan. Not because I dislike you, but just because I felt bad.” 

“I figured that, actually.” Mingyu admitted, grinning sheepishly. 

“It’s really counter-intuitive though, isn’t it?” Wonwoo reflected, laughing at his own foolishness. “And I’ve been thinking about everything so much since then. So much, I even go to bed some nights with all these questions and words still bouncing around my head. But I still don’t have a good answer to anything.” 

“Hmmm.” Mingyu hummed thoughtfully. He cocked his head, looking down at Wonwoo. He touched his hair again--not to move it aside this time, but just to touch it. To comb through it with his fingers. “Maybe you’re just thinking too much.” 

“And you think I should just act,” Wonwoo guessed. 

Mingyu shrugged. “Perhaps. And not just because I want to go on a date with you, I swear.” 

Wonwoo smirked. “I know.” 

They sat in silence for a bit, letting the noise from the TV take up their space. It was a late night travel documentary, and the hosts were in Indonesia this time. Cheebu had gotten up, feeling left out, and wandered over to the edge of the couch. Wonwoo patted the cushion, inviting him, and he leaped up with a purr already beginning in his throat. He stepped all over Wonwoo’s body, and explored some of Mingyu’s lap as well, before finally settling on Wonwoo’s chest. His eyes were closed in bliss, and his purr rumbled loudly. He kneaded biscuits into Wonwoo’s sweater. 

“How about a picnic, then?” Wonwoo piped up, after several minutes of purr-filled silence. “The weather has been great lately.” 

“Oh, yeah! Maybe by the river?” Mingyu suggested. 

“Yeah. Let’s go this weekend. Sunday.” 

“Okay, totally. Yeah.” He grinned. “No cat hair-covered pajamas, no messy apartment. No take-out food.” 

Wonwoo pointed at him. “Exactly.” 

“Is it a date?”

“I haven’t decided yet.” 

“Okay.” 

Mingyu left a little bit afterwards, once they had both grown fairly tired. Tomorrow was Wednesday, after all--they had school and work to attend to. He gave a loving goodbye to Cheebu, who seemed indifferent to his departure. When saying goodbye to Wonwoo, he gave him a tight hug. Nothing more. Wonwoo appreciated the gesture, as well as the constraint. He tried not to let the guilt get the best of him, though he knew intuitively that Mingyu would have probably liked something more than a hug. All he could do was rub his elbow shyly as he saw Mingyu out.

After forcing himself to shower, he dragged himself into bed and checked his phone one last time before trying to sleep. He had a message request on instagram. Who could that be? Sleepily, he opened the app and checked his inbox. Then, suddenly, his eyes flashed wide open. 

It was his little brother.


	7. So Little, So Much

_ Fwap fwap fwap. _ The cream made a delightfully airy noise as Mingyu continued to beat it, and soon his whisk was coated with a fluffy dollop of whipped cream. He set the bowl down and added in the sliced strawberries and confectioner’s sugar.  _ Fwap fwap fwap _ . He scooped out a small mouthful with his finger and tasted it. Mmm. Nice. He spread a generous amount onto a slice of soft, thick bread, and added another slice to make a sandwich. Then, he readied the heart-shaped pastry cutter he bought earlier in the day. He pressed the cutter into the sandwich, forcing some of the filling to spill out the sides. But when he lifted the cutter and peeled away the crust, there it was: a perfectly heart-shaped strawberry sandwich. 

Giddy with his success, he began to make another one. Not before eating the leftover parts of the sandwich, of course. He had enough filling to make around ten sandwiches or so. While making another sandwich, the oven went off behind him and he stopped what he was doing to take a look. Sliding some oven mitts on, he pulled out a deep tray and set it on the countertop. It was a large pie sort of thing, some fancy European dish he’d found online while looking for recipes. He’d shaped the dough to resemble the head of a cat, and added extra pieces of dough to create eyes, a nose, a mouth, and whiskers. And he’d used an egg wash to both give the dough more flavor, and create some patterns for the cat’s fur. He picked up a chopstick and carefully inserted it into the pastry--two holes through each of the cat’s eyes--to check whether the inside was done. The chopstick pulled out clean each time. 

He was just turning the oven off when he heard the front door open, and he looked up to see Minghao come in. Even in the increasingly hot weather outside, he was still impeccably styled. Mingyu, in his stained apron and worn down house slippers, envied him. 

“Hey,” Minghao greeted, taking his headphones out. “Are you home alone?”

“Yep,” Mingyu confirmed, going back to his sandwiches. “Seokmin and Seungkwan have been out all day.”

“Good for them, today was really nice.” Minghao kicked off his shoes, then wandered into the kitchen. “And you’re busy, I see. Weren’t you cooking when I left earlier?”

“Yep,” Mingyu confirmed again. He glanced up briefly to flash a grin. 

Minghao observed Mingyu’s sandwich-making for a moment. Then, he curiously eyed the other food that was laying out. There were the heart sandwiches, and the large pastry pie in the shape of a cat. There was also a bowl of noodles, several plates of banchan, and what looked like thin-sliced beef with onions. Minghao raised his brows. 

“Is this...all for you?” he asked, unable to hide the concern in his voice. 

“No, of course not,” Mingyu laughed. Minghao exhaled with relief. He wouldn’t have been too surprised, but he certainly would’ve been disappointed. “I’m going on a picnic tomorrow.” 

This piqued Minghao’s curiosity. “A picnic? For what? With who?” 

“Just...a picnic to catch up with someone I haven’t really been able to, lately,” Mingyu said, choosing his words carefully. “He was in Busan the other weekend, when we went. I don’t think you got to meet him, though.” 

Immediately, Minghao made a mental note. Mingyu, going on a picnic with the same guy he had gone out with that night in Busan. He glanced down at the heart-shaped sandwiches. Then back up at Mingyu. “I see.” 

“I definitely made way too much of some of this stuff though, so help yourself if you want any,” Mingyu said, oblivious to Minghao’s suspicion. “The noodles, potatoes, and bean sprouts don’t have any meat.” 

Minghao studied his friend intently. “Thank you,” he said, to which Mingyu nodded. Instead of heading straight to their room, Minghao set his things down on the counter and seated himself. He watched Mingyu continue to make strawberry sandwiches, eventually ending up with a total of six--the entire loaf of bread. He had a decent amount of leftover filling, too. Minghao held in a laugh as Mingyu awkwardly shuffled over to a drawer to dig out some plastic wrap, covering the bowls of excess strawberry jam and whipped cream. 

  
  


Wonwoo woke with tired eyes. Like the night before, he hadn’t gotten very much sleep. Every time he closed his eyes and began to doze off, he saw flashes of texts from his brothers in his mind. Real or fake, it didn’t matter. It made him anxious enough to re-open his eyes and resume staring at the ceiling until he got tired enough to doze off again. 

Last night had been particularly bad. As he sat up in bed, hunched over, he sighed. He rubbed his puffy eyes, and ran a hand through his hair. Cautiously, he checked his phone. Nothing. He hazily remembered how, for minutes on end in the middle of the night, he had stared at his phone screen and debated with himself on whether to call Mingyu or not. Of course, he ended up not doing so. For starters, it would have been an ungodly time to call, and would have definitely woken Mingyu up. Secondly, even if he  _ did _ get a hold of Mingyu, he wouldn’t know what to tell him. 

He still didn’t. 

Before hauling himself out of bed, he opened his instagram inbox once more. The same, meek and pitiful exchange of messages that had been there for a few days now continued to stare back at him. Wonwoo sighed. He put his phone down, and got up to take a long shower. He wished he could at least talk to Soonyoung about it. As he let the hot water plaster his neck and shoulders, he closed his eyes. Soonyoung didn’t know about any of this. Wonwoo’s pathetic life troubles were never enough to bother Soonyoung with. Also, there would be too much to explain. Far too much. And Wonwoo was not particularly interested in losing his best friend. 

Cheebu was waiting for him outside the bathroom, and his tail began to flick excitedly when Wonwoo finally opened the door. He stood up, mewling, and Wonwoo gently told him to wait just a few minutes. He needed to get dressed. One benefit of his sleepless nights was that he’d had more than enough time to prepare an outfit in his head. He pulled out a soft, baggy lavender sweater--one of his favorite tops. He paired it with dark-gray jeans and fished out his lucky socks. They were printed with cats that looked just like Cheebu. He grabbed his phone and shuffled into the kitchen, smirking at Cheebu bounding ahead of him in anticipation of what was to come. He opened the fridge and pulled out a tray of steamed fish, breaking a chunk off and further separating it into smaller pieces. He dropped them into Cheebu’s bowl, who began eating while purring and swinging his tail. Wonwoo also poured a bit of dry food into the neighboring bowl. He rinsed his hands and sat down on the floor next to Cheebu, taking a look at his phone. 

As expected, there was a text from Mingyu.  _ So, have you decided yet? _ read the message. Wonwoo cocked his head.  _ Decided what? _ he sent in reply. From there, he checked his weather app. Still supposed to be nice and sunny, all day. He hoped the cold noodles and seemingly fancy tangerine soda he bought the other day would be enough. He doubted he would eat a whole lot himself, and he figured Mingyu was also bringing some food. It should be fine, right? Even if Mingyu did have an enormous appetite. 

_ If it’s a date yet :) _ popped up in Wonwoo’s messages. 

Wonwoo’s toes curled. Although the corners of his mouth pinched upwards in the smallest smile, he still felt a twinge of anxiety shoot through him. He pressed his sweater-covered hand to his mouth, digging his nails into his skin through the fabric. He poked at the tickled, amused corners of his mouth.  _ What a mess I am _ , he thought bashfully to himself. 

_ Nope. No closer than I was the other night. _ He sent his reply. At least it was honest. 

Mingyu’s response came fast, and it was a string of pouty-faced emoji. Wonwoo shook his head and tucked his phone away. He turned to his side and gently stroked Cheebu, following the trail of long hairs that went from his neck to the tip of his tail. He did this for quite some time, even after Cheebu was finished eating. He did it until his thoughts--and his heartbeat--had settled down. Then, he finally got up and prepared to head out. 

  
  


Mingyu was quite a spectacle as he passed through the park, strolling by the river on his bike. He’d picked out a pair of flower-yellow sunglasses that matched his belt, and a brown linen shirt tucked into sky-blue jeans. The faux gold buckles on his loafers glinted in the bright sunlight as he pedaled, as did his huge grin. To top it off, his bike basket was filled to the brim with food, and it rattled about as he searched for a spot to settle down. But if others at the park were staring at him, he couldn’t be bothered to care or even notice. 

He sighed happily to himself as he noticed the perfect patch of grass, partly shaded by a handsome tree and not too close to any other picnickers. He veered towards it, the contents of his basket bouncing as he rode from smooth pavement onto bumpy, natural earth. He slowed until he came to a stop, dismounted his bike, and put the kickstand out. He reached for his phone, delighted to see a text from Wonwoo saying he’d just arrived at the north end of the park. Mingyu looked around for some sort of landmark to distinguish his location, took a picture, and sent it along with a description. And he hurriedly got to work, pulling a blanket out of his basket and unrolling it on the soft grass. He made sure half of it was in the sun, and half under the tree’s shade. Then, he began to pull out all of his food, setting down tupperware after tupperware. He organized it as best he could, then stood back to assess his work. He put his hands on his waist, nodding confidently at himself. 

“Uhm, Mingyu..?”

Spinning around at the speed of light upon hearing an unmistakable voice, Mingyu saw Wonwoo slowly approaching from the pathway. He was squinting in the bright sunlight, a shy smile barely detectable on his lips. He had a canvas tote slung over his shoulder, which he began to slide off. He looked wonderful in the roomy lavender-colored sweater he had on. 

Mingyu trotted over with an open-mouthed smile. He looked Wonwoo over, in his simple outfit, and noticed the softness of his hair as it got tugged this way and that by the breeze. “Is this an okay spot?” he asked. 

Wonwoo didn’t bother inspecting the picnic site. “Yeah, it’s great.” There was silence for a moment, and Wonwoo’s squint intensified as he tilted his head up to look Mingyu in the eyes. “Your outfit. It’s really…” 

Mingyu bit his lip. “Is it terrible?” 

Wonwoo flinched, shocked. “No! That’s not where I was going at all! It’s really cool,” he said in earnest. “It’s expressive. Like something I would see on a mannequin in the store.” 

Mingyu managed to grin again. “Thanks. I got my roommate to help me put it together. He does fashion in school.” 

“It really suits you,” Wonwoo added. He paused. “I like it.” 

“We look like a sweet potato,” Mingyu observed. “My yellow, with your purple, y’know.” 

Wonwoo cocked his head. And then he burst into a laugh. “Are you that hungry? C’mon, let’s get this picnic started.” 

“Heh, okay,” Mingyu murmured, embarrassed. He led Wonwoo over to the blanket, where he kicked off his loafers and seated himself. Wonwoo followed suit, and began to take the contents out of his bag, when he paused. 

“Oh my god,” he said, hovering in front of all the tupperware. He turned to Mingyu. “You brought  _ all  _ this?”

Mingyu, smiling, nodded. 

Wonwoo scratched his head. “All I brought is some soda and cold noodles…” 

“That’s fine!” Mingyu reassured him immediately, gesturing for him to set his things down anyway. “I had fun making it all, anyway.” 

“Okay,” Wonwoo said hesitantly, putting his food next to Mingyu’s. He began to sit, and paused once again. “Wait--you  _ made  _ this?!”

Again, Mingyu nodded. Wonwoo slowly lowered himself to the ground, his face frozen in awe. Mingyu reached for the tupperware, prying all the lids off to show Wonwoo all that he’d brought. Wonwoo’s awestruck face remained unchanged as he looked over the beef, the banchan, noodles, sandwiches, rice…

“This…” he breathed. He looked shamefully over at his tangerine soda and store-bought noodles. “Wow. I feel terrible. You put in so much work, Mingyu.” 

But Mingyu just shook his head, and reached into a bag. He dug out a pair of chopsticks, picked up a cluster of bean sprouts, and held it up to Wonwoo. “You’re not allowed to feel bad. Just eat!” 

Getting to know Mingyu’s stubbornness well, Wonwoo knew he had no choice but to open his mouth. In went the bean sprouts, and a delicious flavor bloomed on his tongue. His chest fluttered as Mingyu gently wiped a red pepper flake from his lips, and he covered his mouth with his hand as he chewed through the food. 

“It’s so good,” he said, staring at Mingyu’s knees. “I don’t even know what else to say. It’s like something I’d have in a restaurant.” 

“It’s just bean sprouts, it’s nothing special,” Mingyu replied. He picked up some beef and onions, gingerly pushing it into Wonwoo’s mouth. “Try this instead, tell me what you think!” 

The beef was dripping with juice, and so thinly sliced and tender that Wonwoo barely needed to chew. His eyes widened and he looked at Mingyu’s eager face. “I can’t believe you made this. This is delicious. Wow, just wow.” 

Mingyu bunched his shoulders up happily, and handed the chopsticks over. “I’m so glad it turned out well! Take as much as you want, of everything. There’s no seafood in any of it. Here,” he said, patting an empty patch of blanket. “Open up your noodles, I want some.” 

Wonwoo did as he was told, pushing his embarrassment aside and adding his store-bought noodles to Mingyu’s home-made assortment. Mingyu, being the hungrier of the two, wasted no time in opening all the dishes and digging in. The cat pastry delighted Wonwoo, who was extremely against eating it because it looked so cute. But the creamy vegetable filling smelled too good to resist forever, and after taking some photos, he joined Mingyu in tearing off forkfuls. 

Growing full after some time, Wonwoo stretched himself out on the blanket, resting in the shade with his head near Mingyu’s knees. His ankles and lucky socks stuck out in the sunshine. Mingyu looked down at him, removing his yellow sunglasses and slipping them in his shirt pocket. 

“Can I ask you again?” he prompted. 

Wonwoo blinked. “If I’ve decided?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re impatient.” 

“You’re indecisive,” Mingyu fired back. 

Wonwoo grinned. “Perhaps.” 

“So,” Mingyu went on. “What’s your verdict?” 

Slowly, Wonwoo’s grin faded. He craned his neck to look around the park, at their surroundings. In the bright sunshine, a dog chased a toy. Children rode scooters in pairs. A couple strolled along the river bank. A woman in a sunhat rode by on a bicycle with shopping bags in her basket. He turned back to Mingyu. “It’s a bit public, don’t you think?” 

This clearly puzzled Mingyu. “What does that matter?” 

And here they were again, in two different worlds. Wonwoo was thinking instinctively of his fears, of how he would be perceived by others. Who would want to see two boys on a date when they were at a public park, just trying to have fun? Certainly no one, Wonwoo thought. But, without iterating any of this, he’d made an observation while assuming Mingyu would be thinking the same thing. He realized instantly that he was very wrong. 

“I mean...we’re not, we--if this is like, uh…” Wonwoo struggled. He adjusted his glasses, and then clasped his hands together. He bit his lip as he searched for the words. “I dunno. Don’t you think that would bother other people?” 

“No,” Mingyu responded, looking around. He looked back down. “No one is even paying attention to us. Do  _ you _ think it would bother them?” 

Wonwoo shrugged. “Yeah.” 

Mingyu frowned. “Why? They wouldn’t even know it was a date. Not unless I started makin’ out with ya.” 

Wonwoo grimaced with laughter as he pushed Mingyu’s face away, who had leaned down while making obnoxious kissing sounds. “Augh, gross!” 

“Heh,” Mingyu giggled, backing off. “You sure have strict requirements for dates, Wonwoo. No pajamas, no cat hair, no take-out food. And now, no public places? Sheesh, I’ll have to take you out to an abandoned house or something.” 

Although he knew it was a joke, Wonwoo suddenly felt his stomach drop, and he was panged with guilt. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Mingyu. It’s so unfair to you.” 

Mingyu’s smile lingered, but not without sadness and concern. “That’s okay. It’s about the bad things, right?”

“Huh?”

“The bad things that I don’t know about,” Mingyu elaborated. “The bad things you don’t want to relive.”

Ah, yes, the conversation they had in Busan. The bad things--gentle codeword for trauma. Wonwoo searched Mingyu’s face, finding only earnest, understanding, and patience. Wonwoo smiled. “Yes. It’s about them.” 

A few moments passed, silent between them. Children’s laughter floated over, and a breeze rustled the leaves of the tree they were under. 

“But...you’re different,” Wonwoo suddenly went on. “You aren’t the same people that those bad things happened with. You know that, don’t you.” 

Mingyu hesitated for a moment before shrugging with a smile. “Yeah, kinda.” 

“You know that I shouldn’t let those bad things restrict me from spending time with you. Because you aren’t the same.” 

“That’s what I think, yes,” Mingyu admitted. “But I also know how strong fear is.” 

Wonwoo blinked up at him, expressionless. Saying nothing, he rolled onto his side, coming face to face with Mingyu’s sky-blue knees. He traced the patterns of the blanket with his finger. He closed his eyes. 

“I got a message from my little brother the other day,” he said, his voice soft.

“I didn’t know you had a little brother,” Mingyu remarked. 

“Yes. We haven’t talked in years,” Wonwoo explained. “I was shocked to get a message from him, out of the blue like that.” 

“What happened?” 

“All his message said was ‘hey bro, it’s me. How are you?’ So simple but…” Wonwoo trailed off. “It took me forever to respond.” 

Mingyu said nothing. Rather, he gently moved hair out of Wonwoo’s face. He was relieved when Wonwoo didn’t open his eyes, or move away. 

“I finally responded, saying that I was OK. I asked how he was, and where he is now. I didn’t have the courage to say anything else to him.” Wonwoo’s fingers stopped drawing patterns on the blanket. “He hasn’t said anything since then. I’ve been up all night, freaking out about what he might say to me.” 

“You should have called me.” 

Wonwoo smirked. “I knew you would say that.” 

“Your best friend, uh--Soonyoung. Does he know?” 

Wonwoo finally opened his eyes. He sighed. “No,” he murmured. “He knows nothing. How sad is that, Mingyu? He knows absolutely nothing, at all…” 

Another piece of Wonwoo’s shell chipped away at that moment. Mingyu looked out at the river as a breeze picked up, catching some of his hair and playing with it. In saying so little, Wonwoo had actually said so much. Mingyu needn’t ask why he and his little brother hadn’t spoken in years. He also needn’t ask what Soonyoung didn’t know about. It was all too easy to guess. Quite a big piece of his shell, Mingyu realized.

“You can tell me whatever you’d like,” Mingyu offered, and watched Wonwoo’s body heave a gentle sigh. “Anything you want me to know, you can tell me.” 

After a few moments, Wonwoo rolled onto his back once again. “Thanks, Mingyu.” 

“So you’ve been up all night, huh?” Mingyu repeated. With a grunt, he unfolded his legs and got on his stomach, aligning himself with Wonwoo. He reached out and grabbed the sandwiches he made. “How about some dessert to give you a little energy?” 

Wonwoo’s eyes widened as Mingyu held a heart-shaped sandwich out to him. Seeing Mingyu’s cheesy grin, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter. He took it, loving the softness of the bread and how packed-full with strawberries and cream it was. He didn’t hesitate to take a big bite, wiggling his feet at the sweet taste. 

“This is too much,” he laughed after swallowing. “I guess it really has to be a date now, huh?” 

Smiling, Mingyu reached over and wiped a smear of whipped cream off of Wonwoo’s cheek with his thumb. “Yup,” he agreed. “I’m glad my ‘love sandwich’ plan was a success.” 

After filling themselves up, they simply lazed around and chatted in low voices about nothing in particular. Books, movies, interesting experiences. Wonwoo had dozed off after some time even, his mouth slightly parted. Mingyu, propped up on his elbows, couldn’t resist admiring him. He gently pulled his glasses off, folding them up and placing them in a corner of the blanket where they wouldn’t be crushed. He deserved a good nap, especially after being up all night. 

As Mingyu gazed at him, a funny thought occurred to him. He really was admiring him in a way that he would with any girl. Not that Wonwoo was girly at all. But the feeling was just...the same. He liked Wonwoo’s thick eyelashes, and the slanted shape of his eyes when they were open. His skin appeared so soft, and as he slept, there was a warm rosiness to his cheeks. His lips, gently parted, were a perfect baby-pink. Mingyu turned away and scratched his neck as he grew bashful. 

Being as silent and non-disruptive as possible, Mingyu sat up and began to clean up the remains of their picnic. They had picked through the food quite well, but there was still enough to pile together for leftovers. He consolidated the food to make one take-home box for himself, and one for Wonwoo. 

While putting the box into Wonwoo’s tote, Mingyu noticed a book inside. Curiously, he pulled it out to see the familiar  _ Kitchen  _ book he had seen Wonwoo with before. The precious cat bookmark was fitted in between some pages near the end. Mingyu looked over his shoulder, seeing Wonwoo still fast asleep. He looked back at the book. Neither the front nor back cover offered any kind of summary of the book. Just a title, the author, and a barcode on the back. He opened to the first page. 

When Wonwoo woke, his body was comfortably numb with the specific tingle of taking a nap in warm summer sunshine. He noticed his glasses had been removed, and also that Mingyu was no longer laying besides him. He slowly sat up, and noticed that the shadow of the tree above them had grown considerably longer. Mingyu was hunched over, facing Wonwoo with his backside. But as Wonwoo looked closer, he saw his bag at Mingyu’s feet, and a book in his lap. Wonwoo smiled and lay back down, propping himself onto his side to watch. 

“It’s good, isn’t it?” 

Mingyu’s focus on the book popped and he flinched, looking over his shoulder. There lay Wonwoo, smirking at him. Hurriedly, Mingyu tried to put the book back into Wonwoo’s bag. “Sorry, I was just curious, I only read a couple pages.” 

Wonwoo clicked his tongue. “Why lie about something so harmless?”

Mingyu stared. “How long have you been watching me?”

“Long enough.” 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to snoop. I just…”

Mingyu’s words trailed off as Wonwoo sat up, and then crawled over to him. Reaching over his lap, Wonwoo pulled the book back out from his bag and began to thumb through it. He opened up to a page, holding it out to Mingyu. 

“It looked like you were about here,” he said. “Where she moves in with Yuichi. Right?”

“Y-Yeah.” 

“You looked so focused. Do you want to borrow it?” 

Mingyu shook his head. “No, no it’s okay. I don’t have much time to read between school and work, anyway. I wouldn’t get it back to you for a while, probably.” 

Wonwoo looked thoughtfully at the book. “Why don’t we read it together?” 

“To...gether?” 

“Yeah. Like story time,” Wonwoo said, grinning at the childish phrase. “We can have reading dates.” 

Mingyu eyed him. “Reading  _ dates?” _

Wonwoo laughed. “Yes. Reading dates.” 

Mingyu pursed his lips contemplatively. His eyes flickered between the book and Wonwoo. “How does that work.” 

“Well, here. Show me exactly where you left off,” Wonwoo instructed, handing the book to Mingyu.

He flipped a few pages, scanning the words, before finding his place and pointing it out. “Here, right when she’s talking.” 

“Okay. Let’s just finish this chapter then,” Wonwoo suggested. He found his glasses where Mingyu had set them aside, and put them on. He sat up a bit straighter, fixing his posture, and began to read. 

He read like a poet. Mingyu’s eyes widened, focusing intently on Wonwoo as he read aloud. He paused at all the right places, emphasized all the right words, and read dialogue aloud as if he was having that conversation himself. It sounded to Mingyu like he was listening to an audio book, or a guest speaker reading from a publication at university. Wonwoo sounded like he could do this professionally, especially with his deep and soothing voice. Mingyu sat in total silence. 

In about ten minutes, the chapter had ended. Wonwoo moved his bookmark from where he had it, to its new place. When he looked up, Mingyu was staring so intensely at him that it was almost scary. 

“What--what’s that look for?” Wonwoo stammered, caught off guard. 

Mingyu cleared his throat. “That was…” 

Wonwoo blinked. “Um. Well, we don’t have to do that again.” 

“Nice. That was nice.”

“Oh.” 

“That was so nice.”

“Oh, okay.” 

“That was  _ so _ nice. Wonwoo. I’ve never like, done that before. That was really, really nice.”

“Cool, um. Are you okay?” 

“You’re so good at that. I can’t believe you just...can  _ do _ that.” 

“It’s just reading aloud,” Wonwoo said, very much red in the ears at this point. “You’re kind of scaring me.” 

Mingyu put his hands on his head, letting out an energized shout. “Agh! You’re so cool!” He let out a breath. “Wonwoo, have you ever had someone read out loud to you?”

Slowly, Wonwoo shrugged. “I mean, sure. My mom when I was little.” 

“No, I mean like recently. As an adult,” Mingyu clarified. Wonwoo shook his head. “Exactly. That’s why you don’t know how good you are.” 

Wonwoo gawked. “What--here, you read some, then!” he said, thrusting the book towards Mingyu. “It’ll be exactly the same.” 

“No way,” Mingyu scoffed, pushing the book back. “Nope. You’re doing all the reading from now on.”

“This is crazy,” Wonwoo muttered, reaching for his bag. “You’re definitely reading next time.” 

“Nope.” 

“Okay, then there is no next time,” Wonwoo said, dropping the book in the bag. He looked at Mingyu, his face totally blank. 

Mingyu gasped. “You--that--you’re scary,” he stammered, narrowing his eyes. Wonwoo didn’t even blink. “You--okay. Okay, fine! Wow, you win. I’ll read.”

“Ha!” Wonwoo cheered, slapping Mingyu’s arm. “Didn’t even take ten seconds.” 

“This book better be worth it,” Mingyu joked, rolling onto his back in defeat. 

After lazing around in the afternoon heat for a bit longer, they decided to start packing up. They stacked the empty tupperware back into Mingyu’s bike basket. They lifted the blanket from the ground, shook the grass off, and folded it up to fit it snugly into the basket as well. 

“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” Wonwoo asked once they had finished. 

“I was thinking a bike ride along the river, and there’s a nice little plant store in the neighborhood that I like but never really buy from.” 

“The one right next to a little playground?” Wonwoo asked. 

Mingyu pointed. “Yeah! That one. I’m not surprised you know it.” 

“I love that place,” Wonwoo smiled. “I’ve been meaning to go there actually.” 

“Perfect. Well, are you ready?” Mingyu asked. 

“Ready?” Wonwoo repeated. “For what.” 

“To go, silly.” 

Wonwoo blinked. “Mingyu, I don’t have a bike.” 

Smiling, Mingyu said nothing. Instead, he merely patted the metal stand behind the actual bicycle seat. Wonwoo stared in disbelief. He bit his lip, and looked around. Like Mingyu said, literally no one was paying them any mind. Also, it wasn’t  _ that _ weird to see two guys riding a bike together, right? More importantly, Wonwoo was very, very interested in going on a riverside bike ride and plant shopping trip. 

Still biting his lip, he grinned and climbed on. 

Mingyu pedaled them back onto the pavement, where his powerful legs propelled them forward at a delightful speed. As they lurched forward, Wonwoo nearly yelped and seized Mingyu by the waist, sending them both into laughter. The air was cool as it rushed past their faces, but somehow still held the warmth of the hazy afternoon. The river ran right alongside them the whole way, sparkling with sunlight all the while. The light was no longer a bright and dazzling white, but a more mellow orange as the sun began to lower itself in the sky. They sped past joggers, women with strollers, even other bikers. In the grass, tiny wildflowers blurred together as they rode by, appearing like dots and smears of paint rather than actual flowers. The clouds, however, were just the opposite, hovering lazily in the yellowing sky and barely moving. The people were somewhere in between. They passed fast enough to be blurs, not fast enough to be unrecognizable as people. Fast enough to ignore their gazes. Leaning slightly forward, Wonwoo relaxed, and even rested his chin on Mingyu’s shoulder. 

As they pulled up to the plant store, Mingyu slowed his pedaling until they glided to a clean stop. To his surprise, and great happiness, Wonwoo didn’t let go of his waist until he began to dismount the bike. With his feet back on the ground, and his waist freed, it felt not as though a weight had been lifted but rather as though he had lost something. Feeling bittersweet, he walked his bike up to the front of the store and parked it. He turned to see Wonwoo already browsing the plants for sale on the sidewalk, with his hands clasped behind his back as if he were browsing valuable items in glass cases. 

“I noticed you have quite a few plants in your apartment,” Mingyu commented, coming up behind him. 

“Mmm.” Wonwoo hummed. “That was just my living room. You ought to see my bedroom. It’s a real jungle.” 

“Are they all different?” Mingyu asked. 

“No, I tend to have multiples of my favorite kinds,” Wonwoo responded. “I also propagate many of my plants.”

“Propagate?”

“I snip cuttings from mother plants, and grow them into new plants.” 

“You’re so cool.”

“And you’re too easily impressed,” Wonwoo teased. “It’s not very difficult, propagation.” 

“Uh-huh. Sure.” 

Wonwoo shoved him lightly. 

Heading into the actual store, Mingyu was greeted by the old woman who ran the place. He bowed in return, going about his browsing. Wonwoo followed shortly after, already holding something in his hand. 

“What’s that?” Mingyu asked. 

“This?” Wonwoo asked, holding up the small pot he had. “It’s just ivy.” 

“Oh. Nice.” 

Suspicious that Mingyu could not even recognize ivy, Wonwoo raised his brows. “Do you even garden, Mingyu?” 

Mingyu sucked his teeth. “Nope. Not at all.” 

“Why did you want to come here, then?” 

Saying nothing, Mingyu sidestepped around Wonwoo until he was past him, slinking off in the other direction. Wonwoo watched him go, narrowing his eyes but amused all the same. On his own, he decided to browse the rest of the plants. He picked up some plant food, but nothing else. He didn’t exactly have room to transport much else. He brought his items to the counter, where the kind old woman greeted him with a warm familiarity and began to total his items up. He fished the money out from his wallet as she placed his small pot of ivy in a cardboard box, and the plant food in a bag. 

Upon exiting the store, he was met with a conspicuous looking Mingyu, hovering near his bicycle and holding his hands behind his back. Wonwoo approached him, slipping the plant food into his bag. He fitted the ivy into the basket as best he could so that it wouldn’t be crushed or topple out. He stood before Mingyu. 

“Hiding something?” he asked. 

“No, just waiting,” Mingyu said meekly, scuffing his shoe against the sidewalk. 

“OK. Then, let’s go,” Wonwoo said flatly, turning towards the bike once more. He climbed onto the backseat, and looked expectantly at Mingyu. “Do you know how to ride a bike while holding a bouquet of flowers?” 

Floundering about, with a stupidly large grin, Mingyu revealed the bouquet hiding behind his back, to no one’s surprise. Still, the flowers he had picked were beautiful and a delight to see. There were three large peonies with billowing pink petals, tied together with a single strand of baby’s breath. The pale flowers were brought to life by the dark mauve paper they were wrapped in. Mingyu held them out stiffly, as if he were a second-grader giving a flower to his first crush. 

Calmly, Wonwoo accepted the flowers and held them in his hands. Instinctively, he looked around. There was no one on the sleepy neighborhood sidestreet. He smiled apologetically at Mingyu. “Sorry. Bad habit.” 

“That’s okay. I could be more careful, to be honest.” 

Wonwoo held the flowers up to smell them. He smiled from behind their petals. “I love peonies. They’re lovely.” 

Mingyu wrung his fingers around. “I’m glad.” 

“Thanks, Mingyu.” Wonwoo tucked the bouquet carefully into his tote, making sure the flowers stuck out and didn’t get crushed. “Very sneaky. Didn’t see it coming.” 

“Oh, shut up,” Mingyu mumbled, getting on the bike and pushing off, at a more leisurely pace this time. As he felt arms wrap around his waist once more, he had to clamp his lips together to keep from smiling too hard. 

The trip from the plant store to Wonwoo’s apartment was much shorter than the riverside ride, and they reached the lobby in a matter of minutes. Wonwoo again dismounted the bike, checking on the flowers. Then he plucked his ivy from the basket. 

“So, how would you rate today? Out of ten,” Mingyu asked. 

“Seven.” Wonwoo replied without hesitation. 

“Only seven?” Mingyu said, shocked. “What’d I do wrong?”

“Nothing,” Wonwoo admitted, “I just don’t want to inflate your ego too much on our first date.” 

Mingyu beamed. “So it was a date.” 

“Yes. It was a date.” 

“Sweet. So when’s date number two?” 

“I haven’t decided yet.” Wonwoo smirked. 

 

Before closing up his locker, Minghao pulled a large envelope out of his bag. He brought it out to the practice room, where he looked for Soonyoung and brought it over. He tapped the dance captain on the shoulder, and presented the envelope to him. 

“Here are the photos from the Busan performance,” he explained, seeing the captain’s face light up. “There’s a disc with the digital files too, so we can download them.” 

“Oh, nice!” Soonyoung exclaimed, wasting no time in opening the envelope. Other curious dance members began to gather around, too. Soonyoung pulled out the stack of photos, humming in satisfaction. 

“We look so professional,” one of the members commented, to which others agreed. 

“Yeah, we look like superstars,” Soonyoung observed, his eyes twinkling as he flipped through the photos. “Your friend Mingyu took all of these?”

Minghao nodded, his pride tickling as the members offered compliments. “He said he’d love to do more, if we ever want to hire him in the future.” 

“Well, we gotta!” Soonyoung declared. “These are so awesome! They’re gonna be so good for our website and flyers. Like, so good.” 

Minghao grinned. “Cool. I’ll be sure to tell him.” 

“Ahh,” Soonyoung breathed, as if he just finished an exquisite coffee. He began to put the photos back in the envelope, and other members began to disperse. “He’s really talented. I guess I’ll forgive him for stealing Wonwoo that whole weekend.” 

Minghao couldn’t help his ears from perking up. “Stealing Wonwoo?” he repeated. “That’s the friend you came to Busan with, right?”

“Uh, correction: my  _ best _ friend,” Soonyoung remarked. “Yeah that’s him, and your Mingyu kept taking him out all the time.” 

_ Wonwoo.  _ Minghao seared the name into his brain. “Heh, they must be good friends or something.” 

Soonyoung shrugged. “I guess so. I’ve never heard Wonwoo talk about him before, though.” 

_ Interesting _ , Minghao thought to himself.  _ I’ve never heard Mingyu mention a Wonwoo either. _ “Weird. Well, we were practicing most of the time we were there, weren’t we? Maybe they had nothing better to do.” 

Soonyoung scowled. “Yeah, we were busy, huh. Still, they could’ve at least stayed for dinner!”

“True,” Minghao chuckled. He shouldn’t pry too much now. But then again, Soonyoung was kind of an oblivious guy… 

“Hey,” Minghao dared, “Wonwoo isn’t dating anyone, is he?” 

Soonyoung scoffed. “No way,” he retorted, “that loser hasn’t dated anyone in years. Why?” 

“Just wondering. Maybe they went out to find dates, or something,” Minghao lied swiftly. 

“Without me? His wingman?” Soonyoung gawked. “They better not have! Mingyu can’t be our cameraman anymore if he’s after my spot as Wonwoo’s number one wingman.” 

Oddly, Minghao couldn’t tell if Soonyoung was joking or not. Unsure how to respond, he forced out a laugh. “Yeah, sure.”

“Ahah, just kidding,” Soonyoung said, joining in on the laugh. He punched Minghao’s shoulder playfully. “Tell him a million thanks for the awesome photos. Also, we’re starting practice in 5.” 

“Got it,” Minghao said, offering a thumbs-up before wandering out to the mats to start stretching. There was much to think about, he realized as he began stretching. Much to think about, but even more to find out. 


End file.
